


Cursed Dane

by SilentWolf76



Series: Cursed Dane Series [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Gen, Human & Country Names Used, Injury, Magic, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-15 01:40:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 49,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9213587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentWolf76/pseuds/SilentWolf76
Summary: Mathias has been hiding a dangerous secret from his friends for the past three hundred years, but his 'luck' finally runs out when Lukas and the rest of the Nordics find out the secret and Mathias must reveal it to them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is just something random I started daydreaming about one day and I thought, hey, why not? So here it is. Sorry if the characters are OOC. And, just to clarify, they are countries, I just prefer to use their human names. I apologize if this brings any confusion. Enjoy~
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Not all people are normal. Technically, there is no _normal_. Individuals believe that they are ‘normal’, and everyone else isn’t, when technically that makes them different from other people. Then they aren’t normal because they are different from others. The definition of ‘normal’ is ordinary, like others, no different from other people. But no-one’s the same. Everyone’s different. So when people call another person ‘not normal’ because they are acting or behaving in a way different to them, they are actually normal in their own special way. It’s either everyone’s ‘normal’ in their own special ways, or no-one’s normal, and they’re all ‘not normal’ – different. So when someone calls you ‘not normal’, you’re actually normal to yourself and it’s everyone _else_ that’s ‘not normal’, in your view.

This was the thought going through a man’s head while he was listening to a lecture on his behaviour from his friend. It was around 3:00 PM. His friend had called him ‘not normal’, and that had triggered his entire deep thought. If only his friend knew how ‘not normal’ he was. He had these moments sometimes. He’s actually very smart, he just prefers to act stupid in front of everyone because he doesn’t want people to judge him.

“Hey, are you even listening to me?” His friend waved his hand in front of the man’s face. He’d really been spacing out then.

“Hmm, what?” The man mumbled, drawn out of his thoughts.

“Seriously, Matthias? My god, you’re _so_ annoying! Listen to me for once!”

This hurt the man, as he always _did_ listen to what his friend said. It’s just that sometimes he gets stuck in his thoughts and spaces out from reality. He was used to his friend insulting him, and he usually shook it off. But he was in a bad mood. Probably because it was getting close to _that_ time.

“Lukas, I _do_ listen, so stop lying! I’m not an idiot, nor am I annoying! If anything, _you’re_ annoying ‘cause of your boring lectures!” Matthias snapped, standing up from the couch he was sat on. His friend, Lukas, who was sat in an armchair opposite, looked quite taken aback from Matthias’ sudden outburst. Usually, he just grinned like an idiot and changed the subject, but this was a first. He was physically shaking from sudden anger, his hands clenched into fists. He walked over to Lukas in a threatening way. It reminded him of when Matthias got crazy drunk and had random mood swings.

But he hadn’t been drinking. So what had caused him to snap?

Matthias grabbed the collar of Lukas’ shirt and pulled him up, out of the chair. Lukas looked into his eyes, and was shocked to see anger and even a bit of _hate_ in his blue eyes. But that wasn’t all. They looked almost inhuman, like a wild animal’s. They were flecked with yellow, which Lukas had never noticed before. Had the yellow always been there?

“Listen up, _Bondevik_.” He spat viciously. “I’m sick of your lectures, and I’m sick of _you_. You’re so emotionless, you’re more like a _rock_ than a _person_. I hate that about you. You never say how you feel, and all you do to me is strangle me and lecture me. So you apologize to me _right now_. And not just for the strangling, not just for the lectures. No. Apologize to me about your very _existence_.” He finished with a slight snarl.

Lukas was shocked. Matthias had _never_ said anything like that to him, not even when he was drunk.

_What happened to you?_

“Matthias.”

“Go on.”

“What’s wrong?” Matthias froze for a moment, before narrowing his eyes at Lukas. But Lukas didn’t back down. With a sudden burst of courage, he continued. “You know you can tell me anything. Something’s obviously bothering you; you’d never act like this without a good reason to. So what’s-”

But he was cut off as Matthias released one hand from Lukas’ collar and smacked him in the face, immediately making his cheek start to redden. Lukas winced. “Shut up! You don’t know anything!” Matthias shouted, before dropping Lukas and storming out the front door, shoving past two other people, who were just about to walk into the house.

Lukas put a hand to his cheek, wincing again at the sting from it. _I’ll need some cold water for that_. He thought. But now he _definitely_ knew something was up with Matthias. He’d never been violent with any of his friends, much less Lukas. He usually had a soft spot for Lukas.

So it was a big surprise when Matthias actually _slapped_ him.

* * *

 

Tino walked to the house (or more, _mansion_ ) with Berwald, after they’d gone out to do some shopping. When they got to the front door, they heard shouting. This was no different than usual, as there were always arguments and fights in the Nordic House. But the only people in there were Matthias, Lukas and Emil, and Emil usually didn’t get involved in arguments.

Berwald put down his bags of shopping to fish the door key out of his pocket. He unlocked it, and almost immediately it was swung wide open by a furious Dane. He shoved past them forcefully, almost sending Tino flying.

Confused, Tino walked in, Berwald following after picking up his shopping. They headed to the kitchen to put the shopping away before finding out what had gone off.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Emil had been upstairs reading a book, when he’d suddenly heard shouting. He went out his room and stood on the top stair, listening to Matthias yelling at Lukas. He said things he’d never said before, and Lukas had replied quietly. Emil couldn’t hear what his brother (he’d never say ‘brother’ out loud, of course) had said, so he’d silently walked down to the bottom step to listen in better. Then he heard one last shout from Matthias and a loud _smack_ , before the Dane stalked out and went out the front door. Berwald and Tino had been at the front door, back from their shopping trip, but Emil ignored them, walking cautiously into the living room, where Lukas was.

He was standing there, looking shocked and touching his cheek, which Emil noticed had a red mark on it. He rushed over, but didn’t need to ask what happened. He’d heard most of it, and guessed that Matthias had lost his temper and hit Lukas.

“Lukas? Are you okay?” Emil asked gingerly. He could see something that resembled fear in his brother’s eyes, and that scared Emil. They were usually so emotionless, so seeing them filled with fear worried him. “Big brother?”

Lukas didn’t hear Emil come in, lost in his own thoughts. But when Emil spoke, Lukas focused and came back to reality. Then he heard Emil speak and call him ‘big brother’. Despite all that happened, a faint smile appeared on his face (which was rare).

“You called me big brother.” Lukas stated, before returning to the original question. “And no, I guess I’m not okay. There’s something wrong with him, Emil.” He glanced over at a random window. “And I want to find out what.”

“What’s going on?” A gruff voice broke Lukas’ dramatic moment. It was Berwald. Tino followed him, and noticed Lukas’ still red cheek.

“Lukas! Your cheek! You’re hurt!” Tino tried to touch his cheek, but Lukas pushed him away.

“It doesn’t matter. I have to go find Matthias.”

But Berwald appeared right in front of Lukas, moving Tino and Emil aside. “You shouldn’t go near him, Lukas. Not at the moment. If he hit you, then he’s dangerous.”

“But I need to know what’s wrong with him! Please, I have to go!” Lukas, who was normally emotionless, was letting his emotions spill out of him, which was odd. He was really worried, and didn’t have time to be emotionless or blunt.

Emil shook his head. “No, Lukas. Stay here. He’ll be back. Don’t worry so much - he’s probably just in a mood or something.” Giving up, Lukas let out a defeated sigh and let them fuss over his cheek, which didn’t hurt anymore. But his thoughts kept trailing back to Matthias, and trying to work out _why_ he was like that.

* * *

 

Matthias regretted everything he’d done as soon as he got out the house. He was running through a forest at the moment. He didn’t care where he was going, he just needed to get as far away from Lukas and the others as possible. Emil had probably heard the entire thing, and he remembered seeing Berwald and Tino at the door as he left. They’d be pampering over Lukas, and they’d hate him. But it wasn’t Matthias’ fault. At least, not completely, anyway. It was getting close to the certain time of the month, and he needed to get as far away from people as possible.

The Nordic House was positioned quite a way from other houses. Forests and hills surrounded the house, and it was quite peaceful, to be honest. Except for Matthias. He was constantly getting into arguments with the others, and every month he had to take a break from his ordinary life.

And it was very close to that time now. That was why he’d suddenly snapped at Lukas. He didn’t mean to, he didn’t want to, he just _did_. And now Lukas probably hated him for it. He had only been trying to help, and that was quite rare from someone like him. Usually, he didn’t care about Matthias, but he knew something was wrong and just wanted to try and help him. But of course, Matthias being the person he was, only pushed him away, thinking he could handle it himself. After all, he had for the last three hundred years or so. Ever since Lukas’ little ‘accident’.

It was about 5:00 PM now, and the sun was setting soon. Then the moon would rise, and he would… _change_. Matthias hated what he would become, and could never really control it. Because he hadn’t been infected by a normal monster – he’d been infected by a _magical_ monster. The effects were worse, and a lot more painful.

Matthias slowed down to a walk but continued to wander round, completely lost in the forest. But being lost was a good thing. If _he_ was lost, then maybe the _thing_ would be lost as well. Then it wouldn’t be able to find the Nordic House, break in, and hurt his loved ones. He hoped this was the case, at least.

Exhausted, Matthias slumped to the floor and leant against a nearby tree. _It must be about 6:00 PM now,_ Matthias thought. It was around winter, so the sun set earlier. That was the worst time of the year. The nights were longer, which meant the change lasted longer. _Well, a bit of sleep won’t hurt, right?_ He thought, and closed his eyes, knowing he’d soon wake up and probably start screaming.

Lukas stayed up late with the other Nordics, waiting for Matthias’ return so they could lecture him about hitting people. Then Lukas could ask him what’s bothering him. Lukas could have sworn he heard a few faint screams, but they were two far away to be certain. But it was now nearly midnight, and still no Matthias. Tino had given up, complaining he was tired, and gone to bed. Berwald had gone half an hour after Tino, which left only Lukas and Emil (and Mr Puffin, of course, but he was fast asleep on Emil’s shoulder).

When the time got to 1:00 AM, Emil fell asleep, resting his head on Lukas’ shoulder. He didn’t mind, and actually enjoyed the company of his brother (asleep or not). The time slowly came to 2:00 AM, and Lukas was having trouble staying awake. But eventually, he nodded off, sat on the couch still with Emil and Mr Puffin. But, just as he drifted off, he heard a loud howl.

Then sleep took him.

* * *

 

                 ~Time Skip~

When Lukas woke up, Emil was still asleep on his shoulder (how he’d stayed there and not fallen off, he didn’t know). He heard the sound of a kettle boiling, and guessed that Tino was making coffee. He looked behind him, feeling like something was there, and nearly had a heart attack when he saw Berwald peering at him through his glasses. Instead, Lukas jumped slightly, but it was enough to wake Emil.

Shaking his head, Lukas asked, “Has Matthias come back?” He hoped this was true. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to Matthias.

Unfortunately, Berwald shook his head. “No. When I woke up, I searched the house and the grounds around it. He wasn’t there. My guess is that he spent the night outside.”

Lukas looked at the floor. _Did he blame himself for hitting me? Did he want to punish himself for what he did?_ Then Tino walked in, carrying a tray with four mugs of coffee on it. He set it down on the small coffee table in the room, and silence fell upon the group.

But they were startled when they heard a door burst open and a _thud_. There could only be one person coming to the house at this time. Hope blossomed in Lukas’ chest, though he didn’t show it, as he got up and rushed to the front door, where the sound had come from. But what he saw was different to what he expected.

Matthias lay, unconscious, on the floor, breath ragged and strained. He was covered in scratches, cuts and bruises, and lots of blood. Blood flooded his mouth as it lay open, struggling to breathe through the blood.

Lukas shouted the others, and they came immediately. He knelt down beside his injured friend and felt his pulse. It was faint and irregular, as if his heart was struggling to work.

But suddenly…

…it stopped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick - and vague - look back on what happened to Mathias, and then the Nordics take care of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Second chapter! Yaay…? Sorry about the cliffhanger-ish ending on chapter 1, but yeah. Thanks for reading it, I guess. Remember, comments are welcomed, whether positive or negative! So here you are: Chapter 2. By the way, the lines just mean the change of POV. I prefer to be confusing rather than simple <3
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Matthias had changed back, and felt even worse than usual. He needed to get back to the Nordic House, and apologize to Lukas. But his legs could barely support him. He didn’t have much memory of what happened last night. He vaguely remembered feeling exhausted, and nodding off.

Then pain.

Excruciating pain as his body began to change. He hated the ‘change’. It was awful. He always fought it, never wanting to give in to the monster as it began to stir. Some people may say it’s being stubborn, but he thinks it’s being protective. The longer that _thing_ is kept at bay, the less time it has to find its way to his friends.

Panting heavily and using every tree around him for support, he eventually came to a familiar spot in the forest. Now he knew where he was, he stumbled along the route back to the Nordic House. It wasn’t that far away, and he was near the outskirts of the forest.

Matthias felt close to passing out, but struggled on, determined to reach the house. If he could get there, he could quickly apologize to Lukas, say he was tired and go to bed.

But that didn’t happen.

As he reached the front door, he felt his body getting heavier with every movement. On top of that, his body screamed at him with pain and exhaustion. Matthias clumsily put his hand on the door handle and opened the door. This action alone drained him of the last of his energy, and the darkness swamped him.

* * *

 

                 ~Present time~

Lukas stared in shock as Matthias’ heartbeat suddenly stopped. Why? He just sat there frozen, while the others picked up Matthias’ limp body and carried it upstairs, to his room. Berwald did most of the carrying though, and Tino fussed over his injuries when he was settled on the bed. Emil came back downstairs to find Lukas still in shock on the floor. He shook him gently on the shoulders, and he came to his senses.

“Emil? Wh-what happened to him? Why? Why did it just… _stop_? How? I-it’s not possible…” Lukas trailed off as he realised he was voicing his thoughts aloud.

“Lukas, you’re not making any sense. What stopped?” Emil tried to calm down his brother.

Lukas looked him in the eyes, and murmured, “His heart, Emil. His heart.” With that, he ran upstairs, Emil following closely behind.

Berwald and Tino both undressed Matthias to his boxers to thoroughly check his condition. Berwald felt Matthias’ pulse once he was put on his bed, and was surprised to find that it wasn’t there.

“Tino.” He called, and Tino, who was on the opposite side of the bed to him, stopped cleaning a cut and looked up. “Has Matthias got a pulse in his other wrist?”

The question made worry flash in Tino’s eyes (even more than there was already). He checked, and shook his head stiffly.

Berwald felt for any breathing, and was relieved to find a faint, shallow breath. So why wasn’t his heart working? He was drawn out of his thoughts when Lukas and Emil ran in.

Lukas immediately ran straight up to Matthias and felt for any signs of life, like Berwald had. Berwald was surprised at Lukas. Usually he wouldn’t panic like this. Usually he would be calm and as emotionless as possible in difficult situations like this.

But this wasn’t something that usually happened.

People didn’t snap suddenly, spend the night outside and come back all bloody and with no heartbeat. Sure, they’d been through a lot over the centuries, but they’d never experienced _this_ before.

Berwald stepped back and tended to the injuries on Matthias’ legs, giving Lukas some space. Emil flashed him a grateful look (which was odd because usually he’s emotionless like Lukas), as his brother was too fixed on Matthias to notice.

* * *

 

Lukas felt tears rising to his eyes, but he blinked them down. He didn’t _want_ to cry. Not at this present moment, because if he was crying then he wouldn’t be able to help Matthias.

Calming down a bit, he sat on the very edge of the bed, and took a wet cloth and disinfectant that Tino handed him, and began dabbing at a light scratch on Matthias’ cheek. It wasn’t the worst injury, but it was the first one he focused on. As he was cleaning the wound, he studied it. It looked like a scratch from a tree branch, as if Matthias had been running, and he’d hit a branch. But why would he have been running? Was he running _from_ something? Or _to_ something?

Lukas jumped as Matthias suddenly took in a deep, shuddering breath and drowsily opened his eyes. There was so much pain in his eyes when he first woke up that Lukas cringed and looked away. Then he blinked and faced Matthias again, but the pain in his eyes was gone.

“…Lu…kas…” Matthias struggled to say his name. It was quiet, more of a whisper, but Lukas heard it loud and clear.

“You’re awake! Don’t talk!” Lukas jumped up, surprising the others.

“…I’m…so…rry…” he forced out between gasps for breath.

Then he blacked out again.

Tino had been cleaning a deep gash in his friend’s side when he saw Lukas jump up and tell someone not to talk. He glanced at Matthias, who had his eyes open, gazing at Lukas. In his surprise, he dropped the open bottle of disinfectant on Matthias, and caused him to quietly hiss in pain, before he continued what he was saying. Tino heard the words ‘I’m sorry’, and watched as his friend promptly passed out after.

Tino honestly didn’t know what to do. Lukas was frozen on the spot, and Emil and Berwald watched in surprise. Then he began to clean up the spilt disinfectant and started on another wound (there were a _lot_ ).

* * *

 

                     ~Time Skip~

Matthias slowly cracked his eyes open. The light flooded into his eyes and he squeezed them shut again. He heard voices, then scuffles, and the light he felt on his eyelids dimmed. He tried to open his eyes again, and found the light dimmed. Eyes open fully, he saw his friends around him. Where was he? It felt like he was on a bed, and the room looked familiar – then it dawned on him.

It was his room.

Lukas looked at him with concern in his eyes, which was rare. Berwald’s stern façade had cracked a bit, and Tino had stopped whatever he was doing before. Even Emil was there.

But Matthias felt cold. Shivering, he craned his neck to look down and saw he was stark naked, save for his boxers.

Lukas saw Matthias shiver as he finally woke up after blacking out on them before. It was nearly 4:30 PM. He brought the covers out from under Matthias as gently as he could, and covered his friend. He relaxed a bit and stopped shivering.

“Are you okay now?” Emil asked cautiously. Matthias glanced at him before slowly nodding his head. Then he started to space out, deep in thought. Lukas shook his shoulder to snap him out of it. Matthias blinked a few times before raising an eyebrow in question.

“Why did you apologize to me?” Lukas asked.

Matthias frowned. When did he do that? “What do you mean?”

Lukas shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. But I’ve got a couple of other questions for you. First, wh-”

But he was cut off by Emil placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head. He mouthed ‘not yet’ and released Lukas.

But Matthias saw what Emil mouthed and protested. “No, I can answer your questions.” He sat up, wincing, and leaned heavily on the headboard. Panting slightly from the effort, he flashed a weak smile and made a hand motion for Lukas to continue. Emil exchanged glances with Tino, but stepped back and let Lukas speak.

Lukas arranged his thoughts quickly. Which question should he ask first? Then he thought of one that was _really_ bugging him. “Why did your heart suddenly stop? Wait-” Lukas stepped closer, removed the blanket and put a hand over Matthias’ chest.

He could feel a heartbeat. Relief washed over him and he lifted his hand from Matthias’ chest, replacing the blanket as well.

Matthias didn’t know how to answer the question. He knew exactly _why_ his heart stopped, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. If he stuck to basic facts, they’d want details. Then he’d have to tell the entire story…he mentally shook his head. No. He couldn’t tell them the story. It was bad enough what happened yesterday, but he wasn’t ready for them to know. He didn’t _want_ them to know. Especially Lukas.

“It’s a long story.” Matthias eventually answered. Lukas narrowed his eyes with suspicion, while Tino’s widened with surprise. Matthias guessed that they would want to hear the story, so he looked down and mumbled, “Plus, I don’t want to tell you.”

A heavy silence fell upon the room after that, until it was broken by Berwald.

“Why were you horrible to Lukas? Why did you hit him? You’ve _never_ hit us in a simple argument. Sure, in a full-on fight, you do, but not in an argument. Also, why didn’t you come back until this morning? On that note, how come when you come back, you were unconscious and injured? What’s with your odd behaviour as well? _What is going on with you_?” His voice grew louder on the last question.

All those questions that would lead to the truth.

The truth that would make everyone leave Matthias.

The truth that would make him completely alone in this world.

But Matthias knew that they were too suspicious. They would find out eventually. He couldn’t keep it a secret, bottled up inside of him. He had to tell them.

He took a deep breath. Everyone in the room leaned forward to hear what he was going to say. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just be blunt.” He exhaled loudly, and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“I’m a werewolf.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Mathias reveals his dark secret, no-one believes him. But sometimes it's better to listen to someone, which is what they soon learn...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Lukas stared at his friend blankly. _A werewolf? They don’t exist._ He thought. _Then again, I_ do _have a troll…no, they’re completely separate things._

“Werewolves don’t exist.” Emil stated bluntly. “Tell us the truth.”

Lukas saw Matthias shrink a bit. He tried to hide further into the blankets, so Lukas ripped them off him.

Matthias stared at them. “Werewolves _do_ exist. Why don’t you believe me?”

“Because it’s ridiculous.” Berwald snapped simply.

They sat arguing for a good fifteen minutes, before Matthias changed the subject and asked, “What time is it?”

Tino glanced at his watch. “4:45 PM. Why?”

Matthias’ eyes widened. Lukas felt his suspicion grow. “I’ve got to go.” He swung his legs round and tried to get out of bed, but Lukas forced him back down.

“No you don’t. You’re not going anywhere until you’ve told us the truth. Now come on, spill it. Otherwise, we’ll leave you alone to recover by yourself.” Lukas growled threateningly.

“But I _am_ telling the truth. I would prove it to you, but I don’t want any of you getting hurt.” He replied exasperatedly. Sighing, Berwald left the room, followed by Tino and Emil. But Lukas stayed.

“Now they’ve gone, can you tell me? Don’t worry; I’ll keep it a secret if you want.” Lukas offered. Surely _that_ would convince the Dane to tell him.

But Matthias stuck by what he said earlier. Groaning in irritation, Lukas left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

As he was walking downstairs, questions flashed in his mind. _Why was Matthias so eager to go? Why does he insist he’s a werewolf? Could he be telling the truth?_ Exhausted, he fell onto the couch and just sat there, head up and facing the ceiling. He saw Emil on the other end of the couch, and Tino and Berwald were in two armchairs. All looked irritated at the stubborn Dane. It was silent after that, with only scuffles being heard from upstairs. No-one could be bothered to check what the scuffles were about, but a loud crash startled them all. Now _that_ was something they should probably check out.

Lukas ran to the base of the stairs, and saw Matthias lying in a crumpled heap on the last stair, clutching a re-opened wound on his leg.

“What the hell are you doing?” He demanded, more sternly than he intended. “You shouldn’t be up yet; your body still needs to recover from whatever happened last night.”

Matthias panted heavily and weakly shook his head. “Got to…get…away…” Talking was a major effort for him, as the pain in his leg and the exhaustion from last night was effecting him. He could already feel a headache coming on, which meant soon the monster would emerge. And he didn’t want to be anywhere near the Nordic House and his friends when that happened.

“Come on; I’m taking you back to your bed. And this time, I’m _locking_ it so you can’t escape.” Lukas grabbed Matthias’ arm and pulled him upright. The Dane leant heavily on him, as his leg was killing him. But he was powerless to stop Lukas as he carefully took Matthias back upstairs.

Dread filled Matthias as he saw the time on a wall clock. It had just gone 5:00 PM, which meant about an hour or so before he changed. He didn’t have nearly enough time. Damn. At least, if the door was locked, then the beast would be kept busy trying to open it. Not that it would take it long.

Lukas placed Matthias on the bed. The sheets were ruffled, so he organised them. He tucked Matthias in as if he was a little kid, and was walking away when he saw Matthias restless and already trying to climb out of bed. Lukas suddenly remembered something that Matthias used to do to him when he was a little nation.

Walking back, he settled the Dane back in bed and did something he hoped no-one would see him do – he kissed Matthias goodnight. It wasn’t on the lips or anything, just a simple peck on the forehead. Matthias immediately relaxed, and his eyes closed. Soon enough, Lukas heard gentle breathing and even quiet snores from Matthias. Good. He was asleep.

Lukas exited the room and, sticking true to his word, locked the door, turning the light off on the way out. He was surprised to see Emil, Tino and Berwald outside, smirking slightly at him. _Oh god, I bet they saw me kiss Matthias goodnight._ Lukas thought with dread.

But instead of teasing him, Emil asked seriously, “Why did you lock the door? Do you really think he’s a…werewolf?”

Lukas shook his head. “No. I locked it so he doesn’t try and escape again.” Emil nodded in understanding and walked to his room without another word. Berwald and Tino did the same, leaving Lukas alone in the hallway.

Taking one last look at Matthias’ room, he turned and went to his room, knowing the Dane couldn’t possible escape.

Climbing into bed, sleep soon took him, despite the fact it was only quart past 5. But his dreams were troubled. He had a nightmare that Matthias really _was_ a werewolf, and he was going to change tonight and tear down the locked door. Then a loud, piercing scream, cut through his nightmare, waking him up instantly.

Lukas, panting and sweating a bit from the nightmare, put a hand to his face and tried to calm down. _It was just a dream, it wasn’t real._ He tried to convince himself. Then he heard shouts, and panicked voices. Lukas frowned. _What’s going on_?

Exiting his room, he was met with the sight of the hallway light on, and Tino and Emil rushing about. Berwald was stood to the side, being calm. When Tino saw Lukas come out his room, he grasped the Norwegian’s shoulders.

“Do you have Matthias’ room key? Please tell me you have it!” Tino shouted at him, worry making his voice crack a few times.

Lukas walked back into his room, confused, and found the key on his bedside table. He came back out and handed Tino the key. “What’s all the panic about? What happened?”

Tino fumbled with the key, while answering over his shoulder, “We don’t know. I hadn’t gone to sleep yet, and it was about 6:00 when I heard weird groans of pain or something. Then they changed to cries, and then _screams_. I was so _scared_ , Lukas! I woke Berwald and Emil, who had gone to sleep, but I couldn’t wake you up. Can’t you hear the screams?” Lukas listened out for a scream, and soon heard one. It was definitely Matthias. _But why was he screaming? Bad dream? Or…_ Lukas shuddered at the other option.

Tino finally unlocked the door, his panic making his hands clammy so he struggled a bit with the key. He pushed the door open and turned the light on. What he saw made him gasp. Lukas quickly ran in, as did the other two. The sight was horrible.

* * *

 

Matthias was on his knees, doubled over with his head on the floor. The pain was excruciating as the monster fought for control, but he knew he couldn’t let it get its way. Not tonight, anyway. The others weren’t safe while he was here. But then he heard the sound of his door unlocking, and he started panicking. _No! They can’t come in! Go away! Lock the door! Lock it!_ He mentally screamed at them. But it was to no avail.

He was struggling for breath as he filled like his insides were being ripped open. He realised he was screaming aloud with the sheer pain his body was in. It felt even worse today, probably because he had been denying it control for longer than usual. He felt his bones change a little, which dug into his still-human organs, causing him to hack up some blood. The beast was slowly overpowering him. He couldn’t endure this much longer. He should just give in. But he couldn’t. Then his friends would be in more danger than before.

“…Go…now…lock…the door…ack!” He was interrupted by a violent coughing fit as the bones deformed even more, into a different skeleton. Red splattered the floor. But instead of following his instructions, Tino rushed forward.

“Don’t talk! Just tell me where it hurts, and I’ll try to help you.” Tino said, panic and concern filling his voice. Tino tried to steady Matthias by holding his torso for support, but ending up adding pressure to one of his lungs, which had been punctured slightly by the changing bones. A huge wave of pain shot up his chest, causing him to gasp in pain and cough even more blood up. Tino hurriedly apologized and released him.

“…Please…go…it’s….for your…own good…” Matthias could barely breathe now, his lungs too damaged to function properly.

“We’re not leaving you.” Tino cried indignantly. “Not when you’re like this.”

“…I can’t...hold it…off for…much longer…” he coughed some more and continuous loud cracks filled the air as his bones changed.

“Hold off what?” Tino asked.

“…The…werewolf…” he felt fur slowly burst through his skin. It was taking over. And he couldn’t stop it anymore. “…Run…” Was Matthias’ last word before he completely transformed.

* * *

 

Tino jumped back in fright. Matthias was no longer Matthias. He was something else. A monster. Towering above them on two legs, the werewolf bared its sharp, white fangs and licked its lips greedily. It was hungry, Tino guessed. Hungry for meat. It was covered head to toe in midnight black fur, and its eyes were a piercing blue colour, much like Matthias’. It flexed its claws, which were long and could easily rip them apart. Tino was absolutely terrified by it, but he knew it was still Matthias. Just…a different side of Matthias.

Tino walked closer to the werewolf. “M-Matthias?” He asked tentatively. The werewolf narrowed its eyes at him and raised a clawed paw.

He heard Emil’s shout of “Tino! Get away from it!” but it was too late. The werewolf swiped its paw down, and Tino barely had time to dodge. However, it scratched Tino’s left arm and shoulder with its sharp claws. Pain flared up in Tino’s arm, and a cry of pain escaped his lips. The werewolf stepped closer, still upright, but Berwald came to the Finn’s rescue. Picking him up with ease, he carried Tino away from the werewolf, and out into the hallway. Lukas and Emil ran out, Lukas taking the key from Tino and locking it. They could hear the angry snarls of the werewolf.

Tino clutched his arm. The pain was horrible, and he was close to crying.

“Emil, take Tino and treat his arm. Lukas and I will stay here and fight that _thing_ if it gets out.” Emil nodded and grabbed Tino’s good arm, dragging him away to the nearest bathroom, where there would be a first aid kit.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Lukas didn’t know what to say about the whole situation. _Matthias had been telling the truth the whole time_ , he thought guiltily. _If only we’d believed him. We could have taken him to the forest and Tino wouldn’t be hurt._ Lukas still couldn’t believe Matthias was really a werewolf. He couldn’t handle it. Tears started to roll down Lukas’ cheeks. His shoulders shook with every sob. But then he felt strong arms around him, holding him in a tight embrace. Lukas looked up and saw Berwald, tears pricking his eyes, but he blinked them away.

“It’ll be alright, Lukas. It’ll be alright.” Berwald comforted softly, but he sounded more like he was trying to convince _himself_ more than Lukas. Suddenly, a thought entered Lukas’ mind.

“Hey Berwald, if Matthias really is a werewolf, then why did he change when it’s about five days ‘til the full moon? And if he changed last night as well, he shouldn’t’ve changed tonight, right? It just…makes no sense.” Lukas mumbled.

“That’s true.” Berwald replied. “Werewolves only transform one night each month, and that’s only when the full moon’s out. So Matthias wasn’t supposed to change tonight, according to basic werewolf law. This is very confusing, to be honest.” Lukas nodded and leant closer into Berwald, feeling comforted by his presence and rare affection. It wasn’t often Berwald was like this to people other than Tino. But Lukas enjoyed every second, while he waited for Matthias to change back.

* * *

 

           ~Next Morning~

Matthias opened his eyes, head pounding. The events of before he changed flashed in his mind. _I hope no-one’s hurt,_ he thought. Then he glanced to the side, and saw he was in his bed again, Lukas sat in a chair about a metre away. _Where were the others?_ He didn’t understand. Then dread filled him. _Did I hurt them?_ He met Lukas’ completely emotionless eyes and turned away. Then Lukas called the others, saying something about ‘it’s awake’. _‘It’? Did Lukas refer to me as ‘it’? Does that mean he thinks I’m actually a monster?_ Sighing, Matthias propped himself up on the headboard. Then the others walked in, Emil and Berwald extremely close to Tino. It was as if they were protecting – oh god. Matthias’ eyes widened as he saw Tino’s left arm heavily bandaged and in a sling. _Did I do that?_

Berwald narrowed his eyes at Matthias. “You have a _lot_ of explaining to do.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We look back into Mathias' past - mostly to help you understand his situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Country names are used in the flashback to make it easier to understand, I guess.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Matthias swallowed nervously. He couldn’t get out of this one. Tino was injured, and everyone hated him, which must mean that he’d turned and they’d had to put up with his bad side. _Damn_ , he cursed to himself, _what should I do? Could I lie my way out of this? No, it’s too late. I guess I have to tell them everything._

Taking a deep breath, Matthias wrung his hands uncomfortably. “You might want to get comfy; this’ll take a while.” _I hope I can tell it in time before tonight,_ he hoped silently.

They obliged by pulling up chairs that had been littered about the room, but still keeping their distance. In fact, the nearest person was Lukas, and he was about three meters away, as if Matthias was some sort of fatal, contagious disease. Berwald raised an eyebrow, waiting impatiently for Matthias’ explanation.

“Okay, I guess it all started about three hundred years, while Norway was littler, looking a little younger than Emil is now, and he was visiting me.” Matthias began, before delving into a detailed description of the day everything changed for Matthias three hundred years ago.

* * *

 

               _~Start of Memory~_

_In the garden just outside Denmark’s house, Norway looked up (though not much) at the British man in front of him. He had been chatting to the Norwegian for quite a while now, claiming that he could see magical creatures. Norway had kept telling the other Nordics that there was something there, but they couldn’t ever see them for some reason. Only a select few could see these ‘magical creatures’, as the Brit put it._

_“…So I think you’d be great at spellcasting, you know, Norway. I’ve only met one other person that can see things that others can’t, and he’s called Romania. Have you ever met him?” England was so gentle with Norway, and treated Norway delicately, as the Norge was pretty upset that no-one else could see what he saw._

_Norway shook his head. England shrugged. “Oh well. I’m sure you’ll meet him one day. Anyway, since you have such potential, how about I give you this spellbook?” He fished around in the bag he’d brought with him, and pulled out a very old book. He handed it to Norway, and he immediately started flicking through the pages. His eyes widened. There were all sorts of spells in there. “It’s easiest to practice magic in a basement, you know. You should start off with something simple; don’t go into complex spells straight away. Okay?”_

_Norway nodded again, thanking England and running inside to show Denmark the book. Smiling, England had got up and left Norway to explore the world of magic on his own._

_“Denmark! Hey, Denmark! Look what I’ve got!” Norway ran up to him, forgetting to hide his emotions as excitement bubbled to the surface. “England gave it to me! It’s a spellbook, and he said it’s best to practice in a basement! So can I go to the basement?” Denmark, however, was far from excited. Usually, this sort of thing would excite the Dane, but he didn’t trust England with this ‘magic’ stuff. He’d heard from America that he’d walked in on England talking to imaginary friends once. He didn’t want little (or not so little) Norge gaining imaginary friends because of England and his crazy books._

_But at the look of actual emotion of Norway’s face, he couldn’t say no. “Alright, as long as it’s nothing major. And if you need anything or anything goes wrong, shout me and I’ll come. Okay?” He said sternly. Norway hugged him,_ hugged him _, before running off to the basement steps._

_Once down in the basement, he lit some candles so he could see and began looking for a spell to try out. Then he found one that made a tail appear on the caster. Norway had always wanted a wolf tail, he loved how bushy they were. So he chose that spell, and began to cast it. It was a simple spell, which only needed a strong voice, not any wands or magic circles or anything. All it said was that for a herbivore tail, the caster had to think positively. And for carnivores, the caster had to think negatively. But the excitement Norway still had was a positive emotion, and he was trembling in anticipation, impatient to know if it would work. But because he was thinking so positively, the spell had gone wrong._

_Really wrong._

_After Norway finished chanting, he saw a large sphere appear in front of him. It was midnight black, with flecks of red in it. Then he saw what looked like a wolf jump into the sphere, and it began to take shape. It looked like a giant, incomplete wolf made of shadows, and it terrified Norway. It raised a shadowy paw, and sharp claws materialised on it. Then it swept the paw down, and scratched Norway on the forehead. It wasn’t a deep cut, but it was enough to draw blood. The shadow wolf began to fully materialise now it had some of its caster’s blood in it. It stood up to its full height, midnight black fur sinking into the dark background of the basement. It’s piercing scarlet eyes locked on Norway, and it leapt forward, opening its jaws._

_“Denmark!” Norway screamed at the top of his voice, before he was knocked to the ground by the monster. The pure terror in Norway was immense, and he was so scared that he blacked out._

_Denmark rushed down to the basement after hearing Norway’s scream. But what he saw in the basement was worse than what he first predicted. Norway was unconscious on the floor with what looked like an overgrown wolf about to eat him. Angrily, Denmark threw a nearby empty box at the monster, and it went flying off of Norway. Denmark narrowed his eyes at it. He knew what it was._

_It was a werewolf._

_Of sorts._

_Snarling, it destroyed the battered box and rose to its full height, trying to be intimidating. And yes, Denmark_ was _scared, but he knew not to give in to fear. He had to protect Norway. So he walked forward, searching for a weapon he could use to fight the monster. Finding none, he only had his fists and feet to use as weapons. Great. But he ventured closer to the werewolf, fists readying in a position ready to fight. The werewolf closed the gap with a couple of bounds, and before Denmark what was even happening, the monster sank its sharp teeth into his left shoulder, collarbone and neck. The pain was horrible, and Denmark couldn’t stop a scream escaping him. He suddenly felt a stinging feeling enter his body and quickly travel round his body, presumably in the bloodstream. Wincing, he tried to shake off the werewolf, knowing what it was doing, but it had a strong grip. He could only wait until it had finished injecting its poison in him._

_Denmark squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to become a werewolf. He had to take care of Norway, and the others. But he was helpless at the hands of the werewolf_

_Finally, Denmark felt the teeth of the werewolf leave his flesh. Sinking to the ground, a painful ache of his joints suddenly started in him, and he watched as the werewolf turned and headed towards Norway. If it killed its creator and drank his blood, it’s be nearly impossible to defeat. And Denmark couldn’t have that._

_Standing up, ignoring his joints, he jumped inbetween the monster and Norway. He held up his arms as extra protection, but the werewolf grabbed his arm and slammed him against the nearest wall. Denmark was barely hanging onto consciousness now. Blood poured down his face, making it hard to see. His arm was burning with a white-hot pain; it was most likely broken by the sheer force of the monster._

_The werewolf released its grip on Denmark and he slumped to the floor. Awkwardly, he turned himself round, leaning heavily against the wall, and could only watch in horror as the monster neared Norway again. It raised a paw, ready to deal the finishing blow on Norway’s unconscious body…_

_…when suddenly…_

_…it disappeared._

_Denmark blinked in surprise, wondering if he was going crazy or not. But no, the werewolf had just…vanished. That was when Denmark saw weak sunlight streaming through the doorway. Confused, Denmark couldn’t wonder about it anymore, as the world around him faded to black._

_~End of Memory~_

* * *

 

The Nordics sat in silence after hearing this. Basically, this whole thing was Lukas’ fault. But something was still bugging Lukas. A burning question that needed to be answered.

“But Matthias, something doesn’t add up. If you really did become a werewolf, then why have you changed for the past couple of nights? It’s about five days until full moon, so why’re you changing now?” He asked, folding his arms. _Was this all just one big lie? ‘Cause if it is, I’ve just burned a hole right through it._

Matthias looked down, fiddling with his fingers. “You see, I was just about to get onto that. Basically, there are two types of werewolf. There is the normal werewolf, which you most commonly hear about in stories and legends. They infect humans, and the humans turn on the night of the full moon. Their weakness is silver, and they resemble giant wolves, in a way. However, there is another type of werewolf. The magic type. These werewolves are usually found in the occult, and are rarely sighted. However, when Lukas tried to use a spell for the first time, without any practice, he messed with the order of the world. He’d used a spell that granted him a wolf tail, so naturally, the magic he used had mixed with an evil wolf spirit from the occult, forming together to make a magic type werewolf. These werewolves are nearly invincible if they drink the blood of their creators, killing them in the process. They can only be killed by another of their kind. They infect humans by biting them and pouring their poison into the person. Instead of just changing on full moon, they change in the entire week leading up to full moon. That means six nights of nearly-full moon, and then one night of full moon. The seventh night is the most dangerous, because they are at their strongest then. I was infected by a magic werewolf, so naturally, I’ve got about five more nights before I can go back to my usual self. I’m sorry for snapping at you, Lukas, but when I’m close to changing, I get pretty violent and mean. I’m sorry.” He finished his explanation and bowed his head in shame.

Berwald honestly didn’t know what to say. With all that detail, he knew Matthias couldn’t have been lying. Matthias seemed to hate himself, and needed someone to comfort him. Unfortunately, no-one dared to go closer to the Dane, fearing that he might attack them suddenly.

“There’s two more things you need to clear up.” Berwald glanced over at Lukas, who had spoken again. Matthias looked up. “One is – why can’t I remember anything you’ve just said?”

Matthias sighed. “You know when I told you that the werewolf had clawed your head? Well, it had sent some sort of magical wave into your brain, cancelling any recent activity. You forgot everything that happened that day. But I didn’t. I remember reading that cursed book, and I knew why it had gone wrong. But you don’t. You don’t even remember getting that book of the damn Brit. So I hid it from you, so you’d hopefully forget about magic. Unfortunately, you didn’t. You’re still involved with magic today, aren’t you?” He leaned back, trying to get his breath back from all his explaining.

Berwald couldn’t take it. His anger poured into his mouth, and before he knew it, he was practically shouting at Matthias. “So you’ve put up with this stupid werewolf curse for _three hundred years_ and not told anyone?! How stupid are you? Lukas could have fixed you by now, or even Arthur! You-you idiot!” Berwald felt tears forming in his eyes, but he rubbed them away, reluctant to cry in front of his friends.

Matthias hung his head again, and replied in a quiet mumble that was hard to hear, “I didn’t tell any of you because you already reject me. You find me annoying, loud, and everything else. So, if I told you earlier than this, you’d probably completely abandon me and leave me utterly alone for the rest of my life.”

Tino listened to Matthias’ entire story in silence. He wanted to hug the Dane, comfort him and cry. But he knew that Berwald wouldn’t let him anywhere _near_ Matthias. He was about five metres away, and strained his ears to hear what Matthias’ last comment was. But when he’d heard it, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Springing up from his chair, he rushed forward and basically jumped on Matthias, though careful of his injured arm. With his other arm, he slung it round Matthias’ neck and held him in a close embrace. Tears poured down his cheeks, but Tino didn’t care. No-one else was going to give the Dane any affection. So he might as well.

“I-I’m so s-sorry for n-not realising y-your suffering e-earlier!” Tino choked out between sobs. Calming down a bit and catching his breath, he continued, though stammering slightly, “You’d always l-leave on the last week of each m-month. Now I-I know why. You w-went away so we wouldn’t k-know about this whole t-thing.” He felt the lump in his throat rise. “We thought you w-were just a-avoiding work, b-but you were actually p-protecting us from y-yourself. You d-didn’t even trust y-yourself to be a-around us! Oh, Matthias!” Tino couldn’t talk anymore, as the tears flooded him again, and he couldn’t stop them this time.

Emil watched in horror as Tino rushed over to Matthias. Didn’t he know how dangerous Matthias was? But when Tino started speaking, he felt guilty. The Icelander hadn’t even connected the Dane’s monthly disappearances with the whole werewolf thing. It all fit into place now. Except one thing. And he was sure that Lukas was going to mention it as the second thing that he’d never got round to saying.

Sure enough, Lukas cleared his throat and said, “I haven’t asked you that second thing yet, Matthias.” Tino paused his crying, and turned to face Lukas. Matthias nodded at the Norwegian in encouragement, and Tino got comfortable next to Matthias. “Anyway, when you suddenly collapsed after the first night, your heart…it just… _stopped_. I was worried sick until it started up again. Why did it stop, Matthias? Tell me. After all, you said it was a long story before, and since you’ve just told us a long story, I’m guessing it’s related to that?”

Nodding, Matthias cleared his throat as he prepared to answer the question. “Right. Well, about a hundred years ago, you nearly found out when I’d accidentally broken into the house in my werewolf form. I was scared, and I wanted to end it all. I thought that the curse’s source was my heart. So, if I ripped out my heart, then surely the monster would go with it? But I was wrong. I’d tore out my heart from my chest, destroyed it and collapsed. Without a working body, a werewolf can’t change. So, until I woke up, the monster couldn’t hurt any of you. And when I did wake up, I had a new heart, but it wasn’t the same. My other heart was used to my body, so when I got cursed, it didn’t take it long to adjust to it. But, the new heart had a lot of stress on it what with my normal life and everything, so with the curse, it was just too much. So, from time to time, when I’m badly hurt or I’ve just changed back, my heart will temporarily stop and I’ll collapse.”

Emil’s eyes widened at this. _How come I’ve never noticed this in the hundred years it’s been happening?_

After that, they discussed the situation with Matthias for a long time. Apparently, he’d gone to Arthur before, asking for help, but Arthur had said that it was an effect of a spell gone wrong, and he wasn’t sure how to fix it. Also, Matthias had told them that any injuries he sustains in his werewolf form will only lightly affect the changed body; however, it heavily affects his human body after changing back. It also messed with the healing system he had as both a werewolf and a nation. This took the wounds a bit longer to heal than they should do.

No-one realised the time until orange light filtered through the window. This caught Matthias’ attention, and he stopped talking mid-sentence and cursed under his breath. He tried to get up, startling Tino in the process, who was still settled beside him.

“I’ve got to go.” He declared, running out the room. “The moon will be rising soon.” He shouted, out of view.

Unable to help him, as that would put their lives in danger, they could only sit there and listen to the Dane’s pounding footsteps, as he flung open the front door and ran out into the snow, heading to the forest.

Complete silence filled the room, dreading the scream of agony that would no doubt sound out from the forest.

They waited for about half an hour, before a loud, pained scream echoed from the forest to the house. Emil shivered at the sound, knowing that his friend was suffering and he couldn’t do anything about it. But suddenly, a thought entered his mind. _Matthias still hasn’t fully recovered from his injuries he got from the first night_. Emil swallowed nervously, promising himself that next morning, he’d go out and search for the Dane.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tino and Emil go to look for Mathias, and discover he has an infected gash on his leg. Once again, they have to take care of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just realised something. In this story so far, I’ve been spelling Matthias with two ‘t’s, instead of one. Hopefully I’ll just be using one now, but I may slip up sometimes.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

As weak sunlight streamed through the window, Emil cracked his eyes open. He blinked drowsily, and snuggled deeper into the quilt, as his bed was so warm and the outside world was so _cold_. Sighing in pleasure as he warmed back up under the bed, the events of yesterday came rushing back to his mind. _Mathias. Werewolf. Story. Outside._ This woke him up immediately, and he shot up from his bed, inwardly regretting it as the cold flooded him. Flinging his covers to the side, Emil rushed to his wardrobe and hurriedly got changed. Then he ran out his room, straight into Tino, and they both crashed to the floor.

“Tino! I’m sorry, I didn’t see-” Emil began to apologize in a loud voice before Tino clamped his good hand over the Icelander’s mouth.

“Shhhh!” Tino hissed, before whispering, “Lukas and Berwald are still asleep. Berwald won’t let me near Matthias, so I don’t want to be caught doing what I’m about to do.” Emil quickly understood what Tino was going to do.

“You’re going to look for Mathias, aren’t you?” Emil asked in a quiet voice. “I am as well.”

Nodding, Tino said, “All the more reason to be quiet. If Lukas found out what _you_ were doing, he’d probably lock you in your room. The same would happen with me if Berwald found out.” He stood up and began to walk away, before glancing over his shoulder at Emil, who was slowly getting up. “Do you want to come with me? I know it’s early, but the sun’s risen and don’t worry, I’ve already had my morning coffee. And I’m worried about him, so hurry up, will you? I managed to beat you and I’ve got a bad arm.” Emil glared at Tino’s last comment, as it wasn’t a race or anything, but quick-walked over and they walked together downstairs.

Once they were outside, Emil decided that Mathias would most likely still be in the forest. _I hope Mathias isn’t as hurt as he was after the first night,_ he thought. _Please, let him be alright._

“Right then.” Tino suddenly said, and Emil turned to face him. “Should we split up or go together? I have these,” the Finn pulled out two flare guns, awkwardly with one hand, (where he had them stashed, Emil didn’t know), “so if we do split up, we can call each other if we find him.”

“We’d cover more ground if we split up.” Emil suggested. Tino nodded and handed him a flare gun.

“Do you know how to use it?” Emil nodded, and they split up.

* * *

 

Tino entered the forest, gripping the gun tightly. He was worried about Matthias, and wanted to find him as soon as possible. Walking through the trees, Tino spotted a few birds in the distance. _If the birds were settled, that must mean that there’s no threat anymore,_ he noted in his head. Following a river, he noticed deep scratches in the bark of surrounding trees, and knew that Mathias must have been here in the night. Hope blossomed in his chest as the Finn followed the scratched bark in a rough trail. _If this leads to a bear, I don’t know what I’ll do. A flare gun doesn’t exactly shoot any bullets, and I didn’t bring a normal gun with me. Not to mention I only have one working arm at the moment._ Tino mentally cursed his arm for not fully healing yet. He could move it, but it throbbed with a dull ache whenever he did.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when he saw a familiar body lying limp on the floor. Panic flared up inside of Tino as he dashed forward and fell to his knees, checking for signs of life. Mathias’ breathing was a bit shallow, and his heartbeat was faint, but at least he was _alive_. Fumbling with his flare gun, he shot upwards and a stream of red smoke flew into the sky, well above the trees. Then he put the gun on the forest floor and checked Mathias over for any injuries. Other than a couple of bruises and scratches, he hadn’t obtained any more injuries.

Sighing in relief, Tino leant back on his knees, before deciding to sit cross-legged on the floor, waiting for Emil. He let his good hand trace patterns in the snow that covered the floor in a thin layer, until he saw some snow that was scarlet. _Unusual colour for snow,_ Tino wondered, before something clicked in his mind. _Oh no!_ Then he noticed the deep gash in Mathias left thigh, stretching from the front round to the outer side of the leg. It went diagonally down, and was still oozing blood, though not life-threatening amounts. Tino guessed that it had already bled enough.

Leaning forward, Tino took his jacket off and added pressure to the wound, watching as Mathias flinched, but his eyes remained shut. His jacket slowly turned a darker colour, but Tino didn’t care. He could just wash it. He just hoped that Emil would arrive soon to help him.

As if on cue, Emil himself skidded to a halt as he emerged from the darkness of the forest. He fell to his knees next to Tino, and helped him tend to Mathias’ leg wound. They sat in silence for a few minutes, preoccupied with Mathias, when Emil suddenly spoke up.

“At least his wounds aren’t that serious this time.”

Nodding in agreement, Tino replied, “Yeah, except for this one, of course.” He indicated to the gash on the Dane’s leg. “Should we try moving him?”

“No…not yet…” A familiar voice protested weakly. It was Mathias. Opening his eyes, he forced a small smile onto his face. “Didn’t…expect you…to be out…this early…” It sounded like he was struggling to breathe, so Tino tried to calm him.

“You don’t have to speak; just stay still, okay? If you want, we can stay here a bit longer and wrap your leg up in something, but we’ll have to leave soon so you don’t catch a cold.” Mathias nodded and leant his head back on the tree behind him, his breathing becoming ragged, as if it hurt to breathe. Tino noticed this, and asked with concern, “What’s the matter? Can’t you breathe?”

Mathias moved his head away from the tree to look at Tino, before a tired smile plastered itself on his face. “It’s just my damn heart again.” With that, he closed his eyes and his head hung, completely limp. Sure enough, when Tino checked his pulse, it was non-existent. He and Emil decided it was time to carry him back home.

* * *

 

                 ~Time Skip~

Lukas had been close to having a full-out panic attack when he’d woken up and realised that Emil and Tino were gone. Fearing the worst, he’d woken up Berwald, and together they’d completely freaked out.

So when the front door suddenly opened, revealing the two missing Nordics and an unconscious Dane, they’d both loudly breathed sighs of relief. _I’ll scold Emil after we’ve taken care of Mathias,_ Lukas thought to himself as he helped the Finn and the Icelander with the Dane.

They placed him on the sofa and began to inspect his leg wound closely. It didn’t look a good colour, and Lukas feared that it was infected. He’d had it for god-knows-how-long, and being out in the wild wouldn’t help it at all. As if to prove his fear, when Lukas placed a hand on Mathias’ forehead, it was burning up. A fever. Great. Mathias’ breathing was rapid, as was his pulse, since his heart had started working again. Lukas went to get a wet cloth whilst the others tried to cleanse his now-infected leg wound.

When he returned, he saw Berwald telling off Tino. Despite himself, Lukas allowed a smirk to play on his lips at the sight of them. He sorted out the cloth, and then turned to Emil to scold him, but was surprised when Emil wasn’t there. Curious, Lukas went out the room to search for his missing brother.

Emil saw Berwald drag Tino off to the corner of the room to tell him off for leaving so early, and he realised that Lukas would do the same to him. The Icelander didn’t want to be told off by that emotionless lump, so he went to find a good hiding spot. Surprisingly enough, he could fit perfectly behind the big TV in the lounge. No-one could see him, but he could see everyone else, which made it an ideal hiding spot.

The Icelander watched as Lukas came back, and looked around, probably for him. Emil smirked as his brother left the room to look for Emil. Crawling out from behind the TV, careful not to knock it over as Tino would literally _scream_ , Emil walked over to Mathias, sniggering under his breath. _Seriously, who doesn’t bother to check behind a giant TV when looking for someone?_ Okay, now that Emil just said that in his head, it sounded absolutely ridiculous. Shrugging, he crouched down beside the Dane, listening to his quick breathing. It didn’t sound healthy at all. _Would it be easier for him to breathe if he was awake?_ Emil thought, and deciding that waking him up will have positive results, he reached over to shake Mathias awake when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Glancing up, Emil saw Lukas, a murderous aura surrounding him. “Emillllllll…” He said in a creepy voice that sent shivers up Emil’s spine. “Were you hiding from me?” Hell, Emil had _never_ seen Lukas this damn _scary_ before.

“Errrrrrr…” Emil trailed off, quite frankly terrified of this new Lukas. But their little ‘conversation’ ended when Mathias woke up and abruptly turned to the side of the couch and threw up. Emil dodged out the way of whatever-Mathias’-last-meal-was as it splattered onto the floor. Cringing, Emil rubbed the Dane’s back comfortingly. After he’d finished ruining the carpet, Mathias laid back down on the couch, panting heavily and trembling.

“I’ll go get you a glass of water. Emil, make sure he doesn’t fall asleep.” Lukas ordered, leaving the room. Emil saw as Mathias’ eyes started to close, and he quickly shook his friend’s shoulder to stop him from falling asleep. God knows what would happen if Lukas came back and saw Mathias sleeping. Emil shuddered at the thought, and focused on making the Dane comfortable.

Lukas leant on the sink as he filled the glass with cold water. He was terrible at helping people when they’re sick or injured, so when the thought of how raw Mathias’ throat must have been after throwing up, he’d decided that a glass of water was the best course of action at the moment.

Leaving the kitchen to go to the lounge, he spotted Emil shaking Mathias’ shoulders, as if to keep him awake. Lukas joined him by the couch, careful to avoid the sick on the floor, and crouched beside Mathias. With the help of Emil, they managed to sit him up and get him to drink a few swallows of water.

Sighing with gratitude and relief, he relaxed back down, and closed his eyes. “Ah…thanks…guys…” Then he fell asleep, while Lukas and Emil tended to his slight infection and fever.

Little did they know, just outside the window, a shadow-clad being was watching them intently, before uttering a low growl and walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’ll say no more! Sorry if this chapter is mostly from Emil’s POV, but ya gotta love Iceland! Also because author-chan is lazy and couldn’t be bothered to introduce too many people’s POVs in this chapter. I’ll leave you to wonder what the hell that thing is outside, while I sit back and enjoy your confusion! Bye~


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not even an infected cut can keep the beast inside Mathias away, they find out, along with yet another person getting hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

To feel relieved was an overstatement. Lukas was only slightly relieved that the infection in Mathias’ leg was going down. In fact, it was nearly gone. The problem was, last night was an absolute nightmare.

Mostly because a little infection can’t keep the beast inside of Mathias away.

* * *

 

~Flashback~

 _Lukas placed the cold compress on Mathias’ forehead, happy to see him visibly relax. It warmed Lukas’ heart to know that he could do something to help his sick friend. However, he had an uneasy feeling. A feeling that they were being watched by someone. Or some_ thing _. Whatever it was, it unsettled the Norwegian._

_Suddenly, Berwald walked in, Emil and Tino behind him. The Swede prepared to lift Mathias, much to Lukas’ confusion._

_“Berwald? What are you doing?” Lukas asked gingerly._

_The Swede looked up from what he was doing to stare at Lukas, before returning his gaze back to the unconscious Dane. “The moon will be coming out soon.” He answered simply._

_Something clicked in Lukas’ brain. He sprang forward and tugged at Berwald’s arm. “No, Berwald! He’s still sick! He’ll only get worse if you put him outside! Besides, what harm could he possibly do?”_

_“Lukas, you don’t know if he’ll turn or not, with his infection and all. He’s unpredictable in this state.” Tino said softly._

_Lukas couldn’t believe this. He just couldn’t. “Are you out of your minds?! You’d throw him out when he’s ill, just because of his little ‘condition’? You’re horrible!”_

_Suddenly, arms wrapped around the Norwegian as Emil restrained him. “It’s for the best, Lukas. Trust us. This way, no-one will get hu-” The Icelander stopped and frowned. Berwald and Tino were silent as well, but Lukas wondered what was going on._

_“Wha-”_

_“Shhh.” Emil shushed him, and Lukas obeyed. As silence fell, faint groans of pain could be heard. They changed to whines, and a single, solitary_ crack _filled the room. Dread dawned upon Lukas._

 _His eyes widened as he saw Mathias begin to change._ There’s no way, _Lukas thought as he backed away a little._ This isn’t fair.

_But the friends could only watch as the Dane unwillingly transformed into the black-furred beast from two nights ago._

_“Lock it in!” Berwald shouted, aiming a punch at the werewolf. It dodged, and tried to bite him. The Swede narrowly avoided the attack, running over to Tino to shield him from the monster. Emil picked up a wine glass that had been lying around and smashed it over the werewolf’s head. The remaining contents of the bottle splashed into the fresh wound, making the werewolf whine in pain. It brought a clawed paw to its head, aiming for Emil, but he jumped away. However, he’d jumped_ backwards _, and hadn’t looked where he was going to land. So when the floor met him, his right foot had landed awkwardly on the leg of an upturned table, and he fell to the floor, clutching his ankle._

_The werewolf noticed this, and took the opportunity to rake its claws up Emil’s already injured leg. Its claws turned red, and it used its hind leg to stamp on the Icelander’s ankle. Emil cried in pain, before abruptly losing consciousness from the sheer pain._

_“Emil!” Lukas shouted, desperately trying to save his brother from the werewolf. He grabbed his brother’s shirt, and tossed the limp body behind him. Angrily, it growled and leapt at Lukas, jaws open. Lukas suddenly remembered something._

_“Bindo Maginka Willuo Inavisebleia!” He shouted a spell from a forgotten ancient language, and it began to take effect immediately. Invisible binds wrapped themselves around the werewolf, securing it and making it lose its footing. Falling to the ground, it tried to free itself, but the binds wouldn’t budge. Giving up, it lay still, snarling at everything in the room._

_~_ End of flashback~

* * *

 

Lukas walked into Emil’s room, where his brother was sat in bed, letting Tino gently massage his bandaged leg.

“How is he?” Lukas asked to Tino.

“Well, he originally had a twisted ankle, but after Mathias – I mean, the werewolf – stamped on it, it became fractured. At least it wasn’t completely broken. Also, the scratch is deep, but not infected.” Tino reported.

Nodding, Lukas sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Emil. “How do you feel?”

Emil looked down. “I’m fine. But Mathias-”

“Don’t worry about him.”

Emil met Lukas’ gaze with the upmost sadness. “No, that’s not it. Berwald told me he was going to-to…” Emil trailed off, close to crying.

Lukas embraced his little brother, resting his chin on the top of Emil’s head. “Shhh…it’s alright.”

Suddenly, Emil shoved him away, tears in his eyes. “It’s not! Berwald’s going to throw him out for good! And-and I can’t s-stop him…” He buried his face in Lukas’ chest, hugging him tightly.

Lukas glared at Tino. “Did you know about this?”

“N-no! Oh, who am I kidding? Yes. Yes, I knew. But he’s too dangerous! He’s injured two of us already, and it’s only been four nights!” To prove a point, Tino lifted his still healing arm up to show Lukas.

“I know, but still! It’s not fa-”

“L-Lukas.” He turned around to see none other than Mathias in the doorway, Berwald right behind him, with a sword against the Dane’s neck.

“Mathias!” Lukas sat up abruptly. “Berwald, let go of him.”

“No, Lukas. He’s only here to say something.” Berwald replied.

Suspicion crept into Lukas’ eyes, along with dread. “What?”

“I just wanted to say…I’m sorry, Lukas. I’m sorry to all of you, actually. I hurt Tino and Emil physically, verbally hurt you, Lukas, and all round horrible to you all. So it would be best if I left.” Mathias apologized.

“No! Leaving wouldn’t solve anything! You’ve still not fully recovered!” Lukas protested.

Mathias flashed him a small smile. “Don’t worry, Norge, I’m fine now!” Then his smile dropped. “But you aren’t. So I’ll leave you alone now. I’ll be completely out of your life, and you’ll soon forget me. I know I can’t die, but I’ll leave you alone for the rest of my long life. Farewell, Lukas Bondevik.” With that, Mathias turned round and walked away, Berwald following. Lukas sank to his knees, unable to form words.

Tino listened to Mathias’ farewell, and was struggling not to cry. He watched Lukas sink to his knees, and guilt washed over him. _Mathias can’t leave! It would ruin Lukas, both emotionally and mentally._ He ran out the room, frantically trying to stop Mathias from making one of the worst mistakes of his life.

The Finn spotted them already at the front door. _He’s so close to leaving! I don’t know if I can change his mind in time. But I can still try._ “Mathias, wait!”

Mathias stopped walking and faced him. “Tino?”

“You can’t leave! Not yet! You haven’t left because of this curse for three hundred years, so why leave now?”

 **“Because he doesn’t belong alongside humans, immortal or not.”** An inhuman voice suddenly replied for Mathias. But he hadn’t spoken at all. And no-one else was in the room. Or were they?

Suddenly, a large shadowy figure appeared in front of the three Nordics. **“You know too much. Tell me where Norway is and I might spare you. However, one wrong move and I won’t hesitate to kill you.”**

Berwald wasn’t listening to this strange creature fully. If it wanted a fight, then it would get one. Using the sword, he aimed a blow on the creature’s thigh, but it nimbly dodged and sighed.

 **“And here I was thinking we could come to an agreement. Tut tut.”** Then it turned to Mathias. **“ _Killius Thious, Denmark.”_** It spoke in a strange language, and immediately, Mathias’ eyes glowed red.

Berwald realised what was going on now.

The creature was controlling Mathias.

The creature had basically possessed the Dane.

And now the Dane was preparing to kill them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback into the conversation that occurred earlier that morning, and then back to the present, where the mysterious creature attacks!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Tino froze, completely unable to do anything. He couldn’t even speak. All he could do was blame himself for the entire thing. He, Berwald and Mathias had had a conversation early in the morning, after the Dane had changed back. Mathias had asked, no, _begged_ them to kick him out, after he’d found out he’d injured Emil last night. The Dane blamed himself, and declared that it would be for the best.

* * *

 

~Earlier that morning~

_“Do me a favour, will you? Please, kick me out of the Nordic House. I don’t belong here anymore.” Mathias pleaded._

_“No.” Berwald replied bluntly._

_“Why not? I’m dangerous, I’ve already hurt two of you, and it’s getting close to full moon! If you think I’m bad now, it’s a lot worse at full moon. I’m scared, Berwald, Tino. I don’t want to hurt any of you, but I just can’t control it. So, either kill me, well, put me in a coma or something, or kick me out. That’s the only options we have.” He explained._

_“We’re not going to hurt you, Mathias. Nor are we going to kick you out. Do you know how upset Lukas will be? Do you know how upset we’ll all be? Even if it’s just for the rest of this week-” Tino started._

_“It’s not just for this week. It’s for the rest of our lives.” Mathias mumbled._

_Silence fell on them for a few minutes. Eventually, Tino said, “What?”_

_“I need to escape any human settlements. It’s not safe for anyone. Please, kick me out.”_

_“No, we can’t do that.” Berwald objected._

_Mathias glared at the Swede. “Why not? I deserve it.”_

_“No, you don’t. We’re a family, no matter what. You’re cursed, so what? We won’t force you away; we’ll help you.” Berwald explained._

_“How can you think we’re still a family? I’ve broken up this family!” Matthias yelled._

_“Keep your voice down.” Berwald hissed. “Anyway, how many times have you and I fallen out? How many fights, how many arguments, have occurred within this household? And yet we’re still a family, even through all that. Got it? You’re staying here. I’m sure Lukas can find a cure.”_

_Mathias was silent for a while, before whispering, “Why can’t you just accept my last wish? Technically, I can throw myself out, although that would be classed as running away. All you have to do is act as if you’re throwing me out in front of Emil and Lukas. Then I’ll leave, and you can go back to your normal lives.”_

_“But…you’ll return after your ‘week’ has finished, right? This place won’t be the same without a loud, obnoxious Dane running round.” Tino asked._

_A smile twitched on Mathias’ lips at Tino’s choice of words. However, it soon disappeared, and Mathias sighed. “I already told you, I’ll be gone for good. You’ll forget about me, hopefully. So please, I beg of you, help me.” Mathias was down on his knees, actually bowing as well. The Dane would never do something like this unless he was really desperate._

_Tino shared a look with Berwald, before the Swede looked back at Mathias. “We’ll help you on two conditions.” Berwald said, and Mathias stood up straight._

_“What conditions?”_

_“One: Visit us for at least one week every month. No exceptions.”_

_“But I can’t!”_

_“Yes, you can. Take one week off every month. There is 52 weeks in a year, and 12 months. Take 12 away from 52, and you get 40. So, technically you_ can _visit, as there is 40 opportunities to do so.”_

_Mathias sighed in defeat. “Fine. What’s the other condition?”_

_“The other condition is,” Berwald leant closer to Matthias, lifting his chin up and almost whispering straight into his face, “Don’t die out there.”_

_Mathias looked quite taken aback by this. But Berwald hadn’t finished. “I don’t care if you can’t walk; you can at least_ crawl _back to us, and we’ll take care of you. Whenever you’re injured, or sick, or scared, just come to the Nordic House. Come to us. We’ll help you. Always bear that in mind, Mathias Køhler.”_

_Speechless, Mathias nodded silently. Tino walked forward and hugged him. “Never forget us, okay? ‘Cause we’ll never forget you.”_

_Mathias returned the hug and replied, “Okay. I accept both of your conditions. Now, if Emil or Lukas ask where I’ve gone, can you tell them that you two were planning on throwing me out? And whatever happens,_ please _don’t tell them the truth. I know it will hurt you to do this, especially you, Tino, but we don’t have any other choice. Could you do that?”_

_“Of course.” Berwald nodded. “Now, Tino, I’ll tell Emil, you tell Lukas.” Tino nodded, and Mathias sighed in relief._

_“Thank you so much. True family helps a member out, and you’ve done that. I’m so grateful.” He murmured._

* * *

 

~Present Time~

Tino couldn’t believe that the same Dane who had begged for them to help kick him out was now standing here, with intentions to kill. But was it the same Dane? All the Finn knew was that the monster behind Mathias was controlling him. _Please, do_ not _let Lukas and Emil come downstairs. At least Emil won’t be a problem with that leg of his,_ Tino thought.

Tino looked back at Mathias, and was surprised to see Berwald right in front of him, shaking his shoulders.

“Snap out of it, Mathias. I don’t like that look in your eyes.” Berwald ordered. Mathias tried to punch him, but the Swede dodged it. “Is that thing controlling you? Is that it? Well, don’t listen to it. You never listen to us, do you? So don’t listen to that thing.”

“…I… _do_ …listen…” Matthias weakly forced out in his normal voice, before it was replaced by an animalistic snarl and a barrage of violent attacks. Berwald managed to dodge most of them, although he earned a couple of scratches and bruises from it.

Deflecting a right hook, Berwald threw a left kick at Mathias’ side, which connected and sent him flying. However, he didn’t stay down and soon sprang back into action.

Tino knew he had to do something. He glanced at the monster, which looked like it was smirking, and a plan formed in his head. _Destroy the monster, save Mathias._ Sure, it was short, but it should be easy enough.

Running over, the Finn aimed a heavy blow at the monster’s head, but it swiftly caught the attack in a clawed paw. With no other hand to use, Tino struggled against the monster’s bone-breaking grip.

Suddenly, it let go and said, **“You dare try to harm _me_? Hah, nice try, but it’ll never happen. Only one of my own kind can have a chance at beating me, and I highly doubt you can find one.” ** Then it peered at Tino through scarlet eyes. **“Do you even know _what_ I am?”**

No, was the answer. But Tino couldn’t give this creature the satisfaction. But what could he do? Apparently, it was tired of waiting for an answer already, and threw the Finn across the room, sending him crashing against the wall. _Damnit,_ Tino thought. _It’s too strong._ Tino got to his feet, deciding that the best course of action was to just give the monster what it wanted.

Which was Lukas Bondevik.

Halfway up the stairs, Tino stopped. Could he really do it? Could he really just hand Lukas over to this new enemy? _No, I won’t_. He mentally decided, and turned around. Berwald and Mathias were still fighting, although it looked like Berwald was slowly winning. There was only one difference.

The monster was gone.

Fear rose up in Tino, and the sounds of fighting below suddenly disappeared. Tino slowly turned round, only to see the monster two steps above him, ready to attack. It bared its fangs, and Tino screwed his eyes shut, waiting for the attack.

Then there was the noise of bone crunching.

But there was one problem.

Tino didn’t feel any pain.

In that moment, Tino knew that he was not the victim.

Someone else was.

Tino opened his eyes to see none other than…


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emil, who is unnerved by the sudden quiet, decides to get up and limp out of the safety of his room. The sight that he is met with isn't the prettiest though...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, without further ado, here is the chapter (obviously)! Oh, and I hope the last chapter was alright for you guys. 
> 
> Also, THIS IS IMPORTANT: this chapter contains a bit of gore (well, not really, but I’m still being careful), so if you don’t really like this sort of stuff, DON’T READ IT. Please, don’t kill me if you feel sick after (I doubt you will, but safety precautions). Just warning you. Enjoy~
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Silence.

Silence was the only sound Emil could hear.

Well, that and a bit of shouting, loud cursing and random things being destroyed.

But other than that, _silence_.

He still couldn’t believe that Berwald and Tino had actually planned to kick Mathias out the house. It was just too horrible to imagine. And how does Mathias think about it?

Emil was drawn out of his thoughts by pounding footsteps heading closer, but still distant. They still echoed, as if someone was running upstairs or something. But then, they stopped. The Icelander strained his ears to hear what was going on, as he was immobile due to his ankle. Fortunately, it was recovering fairly quickly, probably due to the fact he’s a nation and anything. But it was still too delicate to walk around on. Not to mention Lukas and Tino wouldn’t even let him out of bed, so he _definitely_ wouldn’t be walking round anytime soon.

Suddenly, a horrible ripping sound rang out around the house, and Emil froze in horror. _What the hell was that? Did Mathias turn? No way, it’s still morning, near noon. He couldn’t turn_ now _, could he?_ The Icelander thought, before deciding to go look for himself.

Swinging his good leg round, he slowly did the same with his other leg, but before he could even place one foot on the floor, he was stopped by Lukas.

“Don’t get up, Emil. Your ankle won’t support you yet.” Lukas ordered.

“But I have to go see what’s going on!” He protested.

“I’ll go. You stay here. If something… _bad_ …happened, then you won’t be able to run away in time.” The Norwegian stood and started to walk towards the door. Emil tsked but laid back in bed, cursing his brother and his strange emotionless overprotectiveness (even though technically, that’s not even possible).

Lukas exited and headed down the hallway, heading for the stairs. He knew his brother was curious, but that ripping sound didn’t sound like a curtain tearing – no, it sounded much worse. It sounded like – no, he couldn’t think about that. He _wouldn’t._ It would all be fine, he would have just misheard something, and then he could go back and reassure his little brother.

But when he got to the top of the staircase, he was met with a sight that filled him with dread.

Tino stood on the stairs, although it was hard to make him out because there were two figures in the way.

One was a giant black-furred, red-eyed, magic-type werewolf.

The other was none other than Mathias.

Or most of Mathias, anyway.

Lukas’ breath caught in his throat at the sight of the Dane.

Mathias was stood in a position with arms wide, held in a nearly horizontal line. His legs were half apart, as if to balance his weight and hold his ground (even though he was on a stair). However, there was a different feature about the Dane. And this resided in his arms.

You see, instead of having a long, horizontal line, it was just… _half a line_.

* * *

 

Tino felt like he was going to fall, but he stayed stood up (mostly because if he _did_ fall, he’d go downstairs). It wasn’t the injury, or the blood that made him feel that way – it was the shock. The fact that Mathias had just risked his life (despite the fact he couldn’t die from a physical injury) to protect the Finn, he refused to accept. How could he, after all? Over the centuries, they’d all left him at one point of another, and then here he was, sacrificing himself for them?

But when he saw Mathias falling back a bit, the Finn snapped out of his thoughts and reached forward to catch him, ignoring his own feeling of falling. But he misjudged the Dane’s weight, and struggled to keep his balance.

Just as they were both about to fall downstairs, strong arms gripped both Tino and Mathias, securing them in the grip, and soon enough, they were balanced on the stairs again. Of course, the arms belonged to Berwald.

Thanking the Swede hurriedly, Tino set the Dane lengthways on the stair and quickly checked him. He was unconscious, either from pain, shock or blood loss; but that wasn’t the worst.

The worst was his arm.

Or rather, what _used_ to be his arm.

* * *

 

**(Quick notif: This next paragraph is the gory-ish bit, so like I said, don’t like, don’t read.)**

Now it was completely, and brutally, separated from his body, lying limply about ten metres or so away from them. It had been severed off just under the shoulder, leaving a very bloody stump. Luckily, Mathias was a nation, so he could grow back another arm, but he’d always have a scar around where the arm just started growing back. At the moment, the bone was showing, and sticking out at a sickening angle. The muscle was torn and the skin was completely soaked in blood. In fact, blood was leaking out onto the carpet of the stair, staining it a dark red. All in all, it was a very disturbing sight to look at, especially since it was their friend.

**(Right, I think that’s it. I don’t think there’s any more gory bits in it.)**

* * *

 

Berwald looked through his cracked glasses at the sight of Mathias, lying unconscious in a bloody heap with a decapitated arm lying somewhere else. He’d been fighting the Dane when he was being controlled by the monster, and along with a couple scratches and bruises, he’d cracked his glasses. But other than that, the Swede was fine. But he was still confused about something.

As Berwald had been trying to fend off Mathias by gripping his wrists, the Dane had suddenly tensed up, and glanced at the stairs. Berwald had took this opportunity, without following Mathias’ gaze, to throw his opponent onto the floor.

Seemingly unaffected by this, Mathias had stood up and stared at the staircase. This time, Berwald had copied him, and his eyes widened. Tino had been stood on the stairs, with the monster just above him, preparing to attack. Out of the corner of his eye, the Swede had noticed Mathias’ eyes were constantly flickering between red and blue. This could only mean that Mathias was fighting for control over the monster.

As the monster’s clawed paw had begun to descend towards the Finn, Mathias, with completely blue eyes blazing with determination and anger, had suddenly sprang forward, jumping unnaturally high towards the spot where Tino was.

And in that split second, Mathias landed inbetween Tino and the monster, and had raised his arms and steadied himself on the stair, preparing to take the full blow. He had known that there would have been no time to get Tino out the way, and for both him and the Finn to escape unscathed. So he’d chosen the option of sacrifice.

As much as Berwald hated to admit it, he was slightly touched by Mathias’ selfless actions. So now it was time _he_ did something for the Tino – fighting the monster to protect both Tino _and_ Mathias, not to mention Lukas and Emil upstairs.

Getting to his feet, Berwald glared through his glasses with an icy death glare, one full of pure rage and loyalty.

“Get the hell outta here, you devil.” He snarled in a low yet dangerous tone.

But the monster merely raised a furry eyebrow. **“’Devil’? That’s what you call me? Now _that’s_ interesting. But anyway, I think I’ll just kill you all, and find my _own_ way to Norway.”**

Berwald’s eyes narrowed at Lukas’ country name. How did this creature know Lukas’ secret? “Why do you need Lukas so much? And I’d like to see you try and kill us.”

The monster chuckled in a sadistic tone. **“Is that so? Well, I’ll make sure to kill you _and_ make your death as painful as possible. How does that sound?”**

“Terrible. And you haven’t answered my question.” Berwald clenched and unclenched his fists. How _dare_ this monster be so full of itself that it thinks it can kill them so easily. _I guess it doesn’t know what we really are,_ Berwald thought. _Or does he?_

 **“Lu…kas…?”** The monster said uncertainly, as if unsure about something. **“Nor…way…?”** Then it put two-and-two together. **“Ah, I get it! Little Norway has _two_ names! How… _interesting_.” ** It almost purred the last word in a sly voice. **“If you want to know, then I guess I’ll tell you.”** The monster rose to its full height, even puffing out its chest a bit, and swished his tail round to his side. Then it said four simple words – four simple words that created a huge effect.

**“He is my creator.”**


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn more about the monster, and then the fight continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

It was as if time stood still then, after those simple words were spoken. It was as if a massive piece of a puzzle was suddenly fitted into place. At least, that’s what it felt like for Lukas, who had just heard the monster speak.

 _If I’m its creator, then it’s my creation. And it looks fairly similar to Mathias at night, so is it – oh god._ Lukas realised something that made many new questions rise to the surface. _Is it the werewolf that Mathias told us about? Why is it in that form if it’s still day? Where did I go? …What?!_

“I don’t understand.” The Norwegian accidentally voiced aloud, startling the group on the stairs. The monster whipped its head round to stare at Lukas, and as realisation kicked in, it grinned sadistically.

 **“Hello, Norway. Or do you prefer to be called Lukas?”** It said in a sly voice.

“How do you-? Never mind. What’s your name, evil creature? That is, if you even _have_ a name.” He replied, his voice dripping with venom and hatred, which was rare to hear.

But the monster only chuckled in a creepy way. **“Yes, I have a name. So, here’s how it works. I tell you my name, then I kill you, okay?”** Without waiting for an answer, it continued. **“My name is Fenris. It originated from Norse and means ‘mythical monster wolf’. The monster and wolf part is true, but I’m no mythical creature. After all, I exist, don’t I? Myths are merely made-up, with no evidence to prove it. Technically, you could call me a legendary creature, but that doesn’t matter. Now all the pleasantries are out the way, time for death!”**

Without hesitation, Fenris leaped forward, aiming straight for Lukas’ throat. However, Lukas dodged and aimed a kick at the werewolf’s furry ankles. This had no effect, and Fenris swiped at Lukas with its claws. Lukas hopped out of reach, but it had already predicted the Norwegian’s move, and had leaped forward, smashing Lukas against the wall and knocking the breath out of him.

“Dammit…let me go…you monster…” Lukas snarled between gasps for air, as Fenris was leaning fairly heavily against his chest.

**“Now, why would I do that? No, I need to kill you. You see, when you first made me, I tried to kill you, because if I did, I could absorb your magical energy and your very soul. This would make me fully complete, instead of the situation I’m in now. I can only appear for one week a month – I think you know which month, don’t you? However, if I kill you, then I’ll be around every day. That is what I desire. However, when your memories of me were lost, I too lost a fair amount of power, and couldn’t kill you at that time. So instead, I watched you grow, until your power had risen as well as mine. Now I’m capable of killing you.”**

“Makes…sense…I guess…” Lukas then kicked Fenris in the stomach, and it stumbled backwards, mostly out of surprise. Now able to breathe properly, Lukas glared at it and stood up straight. “There’s only one problem; you can’t kill me.”

However, instead of being shocked, Fenris only laughed crazily. **“Oh please, you think I don’t know about your whole ‘nearly immortal’ thing? Any mortal would have died long before now! No, I know you’re the personification of the country Norway. So, instead of killing you in a mortal way, I’ll slaughter you so you’re unconscious, then forcefully rip your soul and magical energy from your body! Then you’ll be nothing more than a useless corpse on the floor, as you can’t survive without a soul. Or can you? I can’t wait to find out!”**

“You know, for a monster, you sure do talk a lot.” A deep voice interrupted the conversation, and both Fenris and Lukas narrowed their eyes at the new speaker.

“First you hurt Mathias, and then you threaten to kill Lukas. Not to mention your annoying overconfidence and long speeches. You don’t belong here. So I’m going to kill you before you lay a filthy finger on any of my family.” The speaker walked up the stairs, reaching over to the wall and taking a spare staff hanging from a bracket off the wall and holding it tight in his hands.

* * *

 

Tino barely understood what was going on. All he knew was that Mathias had one arm, the werewolf was called Fenris and wanted to kill Lukas, and Lukas created it. _I hope Emil is alright,_ he thought to himself as he fretted about the situation. The werewolf was very confident in its abilities, and seemed to have some sort of solution to overcome the immortality and regeneration they had. If this was true, then they were in a bad situation.

However, it was more surprising when Berwald, after snapping at Fenris, had now approached the werewolf, picking up a staff while he was at it. _Don’t tell me he’s going to fight that thing,_ Tino thought with dread. _Mathias is tough, and look at him now. I don’t want that to happen to Berwald as well._

But what could Tino do with a still healing arm and a friend to save? _No, I’ve got to focus on getting Mathias someplace safe. He’s in no condition to fight._ Deciding on this, Tino shakily got to his feet and slung Mathias over his shoulder, struggling a bit with the weight. Then he began the uncomfortable descent down the stairs, heading for the basement where Tino thought would be the safest place.

* * *

 

Berwald stood about two metres in front of Fenris, and prepared to use the staff. Suddenly, his enemy sprang forward, aiming for Berwald’s leg. He barely dodged out the way, luckily only getting a small scratch from its fangs. He brought the staff down on its back, sending it sprawling on the floor.

Snarling, it got up and attempted to decapitate Berwald’s leg from his body. Jumping out of reach, the skilled Swede leaped forward again, and tried to poke the staff right in one of its eyes. However, at the last second, Fenris grabbed hold of the staff, and grinned sadistically, as if knowing it had won.

It yanked the staff forward and to the side, so it brushed past its cheek, and watched Berwald go with it. Then the werewolf opened its jaws and shot forward, aiming for Berwald’s throat. But he wouldn’t go down that easily, and jumped up, trying to get out of the way. However, there wasn’t enough time to completely escape, and Fenris sank its fangs into the Swede’s ankle.

Cursing under his breath, Berwald tried to free his ankle, but only made waves of pain shoot up his leg. “Damnit…I’ve had worse…get off…” He mumbled under his breath, only to have Fenris sink his teeth in further.

Finally, it released Berwald and the staff, and stood on two legs, licking its lips. **“You know, your blood tastes nice. I’d love to have _more_.” ** It grinned sadistically again and prepared to attack.

Narrowing his eyes, Berwald replied coldly, “You can try, but you won’t succeed. I can easily kill you now.”

Fenris raised an eyebrow. **“Oh? And how will you do that?”**

But Berwald only smiled faintly, as if he knew he’d won. He backed up until he was right up against the wall, and Fenris closed the distance slightly, curious to find out what exactly its opponent had in mind. Then Berwald raised the staff and slammed it against the wall, causing a loud echo to ring around the house. Fenris was confused, until he heard a loud creaking sound coming from the ceiling.

Glancing up, the werewolf froze as it saw a giant chandelier swinging dangerously from the ceiling, before the chain snapped and the heavy object fell from the ceiling, straight at Fenris.

With a loud _thud_ , the chandelier connected with the werewolf’s head, and it crumpled to the ground. But because of the impact, the bulbs ( **Note: I don’t know if it would be bulbs or candles, so I just used bulbs)** exploded, and since they were on, the electricity hit Fenris. It fell unconscious, and Berwald relaxed.

“Never underestimate someone in their own home, beast.” He said with a voice full of victory. Then he remembered the pain in his ankle that he’d pushed aside during the fight. Leaning on the wall, he sat down and assessed the damage. It was deep, but luckily didn’t puncture the bone. It wouldn’t take too long to heal, but probably a couple of days at least.

Lukas watched Berwald beat Fenris and was surprised to find how quickly a monster like that went down…or did it?

Quick-walking over to Berwald, the Norwegian crouched down and whispered in his ear. “It’s not safe here. Let’s go to Emil’s room, okay? After all, it’ll be safer in gro-”

But Lukas didn’t get to finish his sentence as pain exploded in his right shoulder and along his collarbone.

In fact, the pain was so great and close to his face that he felt like passing out. Then he felt a burning coldness rage through his body as if something was being injected into him.

He scrunched his eyes shut, waiting for it to be over.

It suddenly went very quiet, as if the entire world had fallen silent.

…

…

_THUD._


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tino comes to the rescue while Lukas escapes with Berwald.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Lukas seemed unable to process what just happened. One minute the werewolf was injecting something into him, the next the fangs left his body with a loud _thud_.

Cracking his eyes open, he immediately widened them in shock as he saw Tino, sling gone and arm looking nearly fully healed, stabbing Fenris with a long metal staff with a spike on top. _Well, at least his arm seems to have healed quite quickly._ He thought. Lukas allowed a small smile to cross his features as it looked like Tino had dealt a painful blow.

However, his smile, however small it was, changed into a frown as Fenris gripped Tino’s weapon and ripped it out of its body and the Finn’s hands. Surprised, Tino jumped backwards until he was beside Lukas.

“Lukas,” he hissed, keeping his eyes fixed on the werewolf, “help Berwald and get out of here. I’ll hold Fenris off as long as I can.”

Lukas stared at the Finn for a few seconds before slowly shaking his head. “I can’t Tino, I’m not leaving you-”

“I’ll be fine.” Tino cut him off, sparing the injured Norwegian a quick glance. “I don’t want anyone else getting hurt. Go. Hurry.”

Sighing in defeat, Lukas silently nodded, unsteadily getting to his feet. Reaching over, he gently pulled the Swede up, letting him rest rather heavily against Lukas’ good shoulder. They started to walk away, heading towards Emil’s room, where he’d originally intended to go. Berwald stayed silent the entire time, as if lost in thought.

* * *

 

Emil sighed and leant back in his bed. His ears hurt with how much strain he’d put on them trying to hear what was going on. Several times, he just wanted to get up and run out the room, but his ankle and his brother’s words stopped him.

But when his door was suddenly flung open and two figures walked in, Emil felt his heart skip a beat.

There, right in front of him, stood his brother and Berwald, both sustaining injuries that definitely weren’t light. Lukas had a huge bite mark on his right shoulder, all the way along his collarbone and nearly on his neck. Berwald had a bite mark as well, although on his right ankle instead of his shoulder. Both injuries were deep and bloodied, and Emil gasped in shock at the strange colour Lukas’ was turning.

As if something was in it…

Emil wriggled forward, near the end of the bed, ignoring the complaints his ankle gave him, and helped Lukas and Berwald onto the bed. They stayed silent, as if unwilling to share with the Icelander what happened.

However, the silence was interrupted by a loud _crash_ down the hall, followed by loud Finnish swearing. Emil couldn’t help it anymore. He was left in the dark while two people were sitting on _his_ bed, getting blood everywhere instead of focusing on treating their injuries.

“What happened to you two? Where’s Mathias and Tino? Were you fighting something? _What’s going on?!”_ Emil raised his voice on the last question, causing Lukas to shush him frantically, as if worried about something. Emil raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, waiting impatiently for a reply.

Lukas sighed heavily. “The werewolf that originally bit Mathias is here, and attacked us. All of us got hurt by it except you and Tino. Well,” he glanced at the door, which was still ajar, “now I’m not so sure about Tino. That crash didn’t sound too good, nor did the swearing. Tino doesn’t often swear, so something bad must have happened.”

Emil sat back, absorbing the new information. Then he glared at Lukas and Berwald. “Then what the hell are you doing sat here, getting blood everywhere for?! Go get a first aid kit or something, and fix yourselves up instead of sitting here feeling sorry for yourselves!” Both Lukas and Berwald were taken aback by Emil’s outburst; even said nation was as well. He wasn’t mad at all; not really, anyway. He was more concerned, worried and most of all, _afraid_ , and he’d randomly snapped at them. It wasn’t their fault.

“I’m so-” The Icelander began to apologize, but was interrupted by Berwald, who finally spoke.

“Don’t be sorry. You’re right. I would go, but I can’t walk.” The Swede turned his gaze on Lukas. “Lukas, could you-?”

Said Norwegian nodded and got up, rubbing his bad shoulder. “Be back soon.” He muttered, before walking out and closing the door behind him.

Now there was only Berwald in the room, Emil relaxed a bit, and closed his eyes. It was just…too much to take in. This was probably just all a bad dream, and if he closed his eyes, he’d wake up and everything would be alright.

Sighing, the Icelander opened his eyes again, knowing that this was reality. A nightmare in reality.

An uncomfortable silence fell on the two nations in the room, the only sounds being faint footsteps and the louder sounds of fighting. Suddenly, a thought struck Emil.

“Hey, Berwald.” He caught the Swede’s attention. “Where’s Mathias?”

Berwald frowned and didn’t say anything for a minute, before answering, “I honestly don’t know. I think Tino might have taken him somewhere, but I’m not sure where. Downstairs, I think.”

Nodding, Emil rested his gaze on the door, awaiting his brother’s return.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Tino, having reclaimed his weapon, was having a hard time fighting Fenris. He’d told Lukas he would hold the werewolf off, but for how long? Until someone saves him? _No, I’m the only one left. Everyone else is injured. I mean, I should be taking it easy on my arm in case I damage it again, but here I am, fighting a giant werewolf._ He thought miserably.

Tino blocked an incoming attack, leaping backwards but wincing slightly when his back hit the wall behind him. It still hurt a bit from when the werewolf had sent him crashing into a different wall, where he’d sworn a string of Finnish swears rather loudly.

Springing off the wall, the Finn rammed his weapon into Fenris’ left shoulder. Snarling at him, the werewolf gripped the staff and tried to snap it, regardless of the pain it would bring. And Tino couldn’t have that, so he ripped it out the Fenris’ shoulder, surprising the monster and consequently slackening its grip.

Tino knew that if the fight carried on indoors, then the others were at risk of further damage. Emil couldn’t walk, Berwald couldn’t either by the looks of it, Lukas’ arm wouldn’t support him in anything, and Mathias was missing an arm. _This looks bad,_ he thought silently, _I have to get outside and fight Fenris, before we end up hurting anyone around us._

Turning round, Tino sprinted down the stairs three at a time, thankful that the werewolf was following him instead of giving up and going after its main target.

Bursting through the front doors, the Finn noticed how dark is was getting already. _Has it already got to_ that _time?_

Skidding to a halt, Tino whirled round to face his opponent once more, determined both to beat it and protect his family from possible further harm.

But a look of horror passed over his features as he heard two loud, pained screams from the house.

And at the same time, a look of delight was etched onto Fenris’ face as it too heard the screams.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They (mainly Tino) discover who made the two screams and desperately try to deal with the insane situation at hand, which only seems to get worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Tino froze, desperately trying to work out who those screams belonged to. _Mathias definitely,_ he thought, _but who else? Both Lukas and Berwald got hurt, but which one is turning – no, I might not be that at all. They might just be putting alcohol on their wounds._

But still, the Finn knew he had to see what happened. However, Fenris had to be beaten first.

Fenris, meanwhile, looked like it was enjoying the entire thing. **“This is certainly getting…interesting, isn’t it?”**

Tino’s eyes narrowed at the werewolf. “Not really. If anything, it’s getting worrying. Anyway, you should stop thinking about everyone else and start thinking about yourself.”

 **“And why’s that? You can’t hope to defeat me, you know.”** Its mouth curled upwards in a toothy grin as Tino wondered what it meant.

Another scream broke the silence between them, and Fenris said, **“Give up? Okay, I’ll tell you.”** It rose to its full height, allowing its various wounds to drip black blood onto the ground. **“You can injure me, but I’ll heal quickly when I put my mind towards it and concentrate.”** As if to prove this point, the werewolf gazed at a wound on its shoulder, and it immediately began to close up.

Tino’s eyes widened, before narrowing again. “So what? Our wounds can heal as well.”

 **“Oh? Shouldn’t yours have gone by now then?”** The Finn glanced at a scratch on his forearm, surprised to see it hadn’t healed yet. _It’s only a small scratch – why hasn’t it gone yet?_

As if sensing his confusion, Fenris explained, **“Wounds inflicted by a creature of the Occult take longer to heal because they get infected by the Darkness.”**

Tino stared thoughtfully at the werewolf, knowing he’d heard something like that before. “The…Darkness…right! I read about it once! It’s like an invisible poison which doesn’t have any visible effects, except that the wound takes longer to heal. It’s really not that bad.”

**“Oh, but it is. If you get infected enough by it, you go insane. You forget all your emotions, and are then filled with new emotions, like sadisticness, insanity and maliciousness. It’s fun to watch, actually.”**

Tino bristled at this. “Fun? You think it’s _fun_? Listen, this is what’s going to happen. I’m going to destroy you, then go help everyone inside. Got it?” He spoke confidently, tightening his grip on his staff.

Fenris let out a short bark of laughter. **“Is that so?”** It crouched low, then pounced on Tino, who whacked it in the head with the end of the staff.

The werewolf sprawled over the floor, before getting up and launching itself at the Finn. And so, Round Two began.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Emil had gone cold after hearing the screams. He recognised one as Mathias’, but who’s was the other? It certainly wasn’t him, and Berwald was right next to him, so it wasn’t him, either. So it was between Lukas and Tino. But which was it?

“I’m going to go look.” Emil declared, carefully swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

“No you don’t.” Berwald edged closer and laid a hand on Emil’s shoulder. “I’ll go. You can’t walk.”

“Neither can you!” Emil argued.

“I won’t go far – just to the bathroom to check on Lukas. Stay here, and if you need anything, just shout me, okay?”

Reluctantly, Emil nodded his head. “Okay.” He grumbled, getting back in bed and massaging his bad leg. The small movement had made it start hurting again.

Satisfied, Berwald struggled to his feet and limped out the room, although he tried to hide it.

Once out the room, the Swede turned and headed towards the bathroom, wondering who screamed. But when another scream echoed round the house, this one coming from directly down the hall, his fears on who it was increased and he picked up the pace, ignoring his ankle’s complaints.

When he arrived outside the bathroom door, he knocked on it. “Lukas? You alright?” No answer, except pained breathing.

Berwald opened the door cautiously, glad it was unlocked. He stared in shock as he saw Lukas writhing on the floor in obvious pain, eyes squeezed shut.

Hurrying forward, the Swede gently shook Lukas’ good shoulder. The Norwegian cracked an eye open, and Berwald was surprised to see so many emotions in it. Pain, sadness, worry, confusion, fear – even _panic_ was evident. Never had so many emotions been present in Lukas’ eyes.

Inspecting his bad shoulder, the Swedish nation noticed black fur growing around that area. A sickening _crack_ suddenly filled the air, and Lukas screamed again.

 _He’s changing,_ Berwald noted with dread, _what should I do? Tino’s fighting Fenris, Mathias is no doubt changing as well, and now Lukas. I might be able to hold Lukas, but what if Mathias goes after Emil?_

Berwald was dragged out of his thoughts when Lukas suddenly grabbed his arm.

“…Go…not safe…please…go…” Lukas forced out between breaths.

But Berwald shook his head. “No, I’m not leaving you. If you don’t trust yourself, then lock yourself in and I’ll wait outside.”

Lukas considered Berwald’s suggestion, before nodding and painfully getting to his feet. Berwald walked out, slightly unsteady on his bad ankle, and watched Lukas shut the door. He also heard the _click_ which showed the door was now locked.

Sighing, the Swede sank to the floor and leant back against the door. What could he do now? Wait it out? Or go check on Mathias? _No,_ he told himself, _I told Lukas I’d stay here. And I don’t like going back on my word._

* * *

 

Emil was wondering where Berwald was. Well, he knew _where_ he was, he just didn’t know what was keeping him. Unless Lukas – no, nothing was wrong with him. He was fine.

But it wouldn’t hurt to check, right?

Deciding, Emil once again tried to get up, this time managing to get on his feet before his injured leg buckled under him.

Cursing under his breath, the Icelander struggled to his feet, using the bed as support. _Why isn’t my leg healed yet?! Dammit._

Slowly, he started to walk forward, albeit heavily limping. He’d go to the bathroom, then find Mathias, then try and help Tino. He just hoped his leg would hold out ‘til then.

* * *

 

Tino dodged a swipe from Fenris’ paw and was about to lunge forward when Fenris suddenly straightened up.

 **“I’m leaving now.”** It declared.

Tino narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why would you suddenly leave?”

**“Those two are transforming. They might want to fight me; you never know. I don’t want to fight them now. It’s only the fifth night. I want to fight them on the night of the full moon.”**

“Those two? I know about Mathias, but who else?”

Fenris walked closer and said quietly in his ear, **“Little Norgie will only partly turn. I didn’t inject enough into him because _someone_ stopped me.”**

With that, the werewolf ran into the forest, leaving Tino to dash inside and frantically search for everyone.

But he didn’t get very far.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Fenris suddenly left, Emil goes to check on Berwald and Lukas, and have a brief conversation. They find something out about Lukas which changes a lot of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Emil reached for the door handle, and opened the door. Sure, his leg hurt, but it was nothing compared to whatever pain the people who screamed were in.

Using the wall to his right, the Icelander started down the corridor to the bathroom, which was situated at the far end to his room. Typical.

As soon as the bathroom came close enough, Emil could see the scene clearly. And he was confused, to say the least.

The bathroom door was shut, and it looked like it was locked. But on the floor next to the door, leaning on the wall with his head down, was none other than Berwald. _What is he doing on the floor?_ Emil thought as he raised an eyebrow at the scene. _Is he even conscious?_

Slowly, and painfully, he got down on the floor in front of the Swede, keeping his bad leg away from his body to reduce the amount of weight put on it. He reached over and grabbed Berwald's nearest shoulder, giving it a shake.

"Hey, Berwald, you awake?" Emil asked, and let out a small squeak when the Swede's head suddenly shot up, glasses catching the dim light and making him look quite intimidating.

But it was only for a second, as Berwald shifted again and his eyes were visible again. Emil could tell he was tired; so why was he still awake? Why didn't he just go to sleep? _Unless he_ was _asleep just then and I woke him up,_ Emil thought guiltily.

"Mm, sorry about that. Just tired is all." Berwald replied after a while, stretching his limbs as best he could from his position on the floor.

Emil's eyebrow was still raised, and he made no move to lower it. "Mind telling me why you're on the floor in front of the bathroom?"

Berwald sighed and looked down. "It's…complicated."

"How so?"

"You see, Lukas is…well…" Berwald trailed off, unsure of how to break the news that Lukas was a half-werewolf to his younger brother.

"What? What's wrong with him? Is his shoulder getting worse?" Emil asked, barely keeping the concern out of his voice. He had a sneaking suspicion about the truth – he just didn't want it to be true.

"Promise me you won't freak out."

"Why? Is it serious?" His suspicion was growing, and it filled him with dread.

"Promise me."

"Fine, I promise. Now tell me." Emil demanded, feeling his blood run cold at the idea of his suspicion being right.

Berwald sighed again, not looking up. "Lukas is a…half-werewolf."

Emil blinked twice, completely silent.

A silence fell on the pair, although it was soon broken by a loud bang on the door, as if something was trying to break through.

"…What?" Was all Emil could say. His suspicion was that Lukas was dead, not… _this_.

"Lukas is a half-werewolf."

"Er…what's a 'half-werewolf'?" Emil asked, confused. _I thought there was only werewolves, and non-werewolves aka humans. How can you have half of each?_

"I don't really know much myself. All I know is it's a part-transformation."

"Oh. Is he okay?" _Stupid question,_ Emil scolded himself, _how can he be okay?_

"He asked me to stay 'guard' outside the door in case he broke out the bathroom. He locked himself in." Berwald gazed at the door. "Lukas didn't want to hurt anyone."

"Fair enough."

The Swede glanced at him. "You don't sound very surprised."

"On the inside, I'm a swirling mess of craziness." Emil answered in a monotone voice.

Berwald's eyes twinkled with faint amusement. "Are you always like that then?"

"Shut up." The Icelander turned away, scowling.

Berwald chuckled quietly, and a silence fell on them again, save for the constant thudding and crashing of Lukas in the bathroom.

"Right, well now I know what's going on here, I better go check on Mathias." Emil declared, beginning to get up.

"Oh no you don't." Berwald interrupted him, holding a hand out and holding onto his wrist to stop him fully getting up. "You stay here; I'm better off going. You shouldn't overexert yourself while your leg is still healing."

"You sound like my mother." Emil grumbled under his breath. "And 'overexert yourself' my ass. Seriously, I'm a lot tougher than I look."

"I don't care. Sit back down while I go check on him. And what if Tino's in trouble? He'll need me."

"And what about your promise? You better not break it." Emil argued, knowing he'd won.

Berwald hesitated, loosening his grip on Emil's wrist. He considered Emil's words, before saying, "Fine. Go. But if your leg buckles under you, don't expect me to come save you."

Emil smirked. "Okay one: I knew you'd come round. Second: my leg won't _buckle_ , and if it does, I'll just get back up again. And three: you're lying. You'd come running for me."

"Hmph." Berwald turned his face away from Emil, scowling slightly like Emil had.

The Icelander unsteadily got to his feet, and started off down the corridor again, using the wall as support.

* * *

Tino only got about one step into the house before he stopped dead in his tracks.

In front of him, about three metres away, stood a large, black-furred werewolf. It looked hungry, with saliva dripping down from its open jaws.

But it wasn't Fenris. It _couldn't_ be. He left. No, this was Mathias' werewolf side. And it was _hungry_.

_Why is it hungry? It's never shown this behaviour before – what's going on?_

Tino didn't have time to think much longer as Mathias leapt at him, one arm outstretched while the other was held close to its side. The Finn's eyes flew wide as he realised something. _Mathias had his arm ripped off – why is it here now? It hasn't had enough time to heal. Unless it's because of his werewolf and nation healing. This is very confusing._

Tino dodged the attack and prepared to fight once more. Mathias swung its fist, aiming for Tino's face, but he easily ducked forward and counterattacked with his staff, with the end colliding with Mathias' left temple.

Growling, the werewolf took a couple steps back, glancing at its arm that still hadn't moved from its place by Mathias' side. Confused, Tino also looked at the arm, and noticed something surprising.

The arm had never _fully_ healed. The fur was thin, with pink skin showing, like the skin underneath a new scab. The claws were short and looked weak, and there wasn't much muscle anywhere on the arm.

 _If worse comes to worse, I could always target its arm, as it looks painful to move and is definitely a weak spot._ Tino thought darkly, although he shook his head after. _No, I can't do that. It's still Mathias, and I don't want to hurt him more than I have to. But like this…I may have no choice._

Mathias suddenly sprang at the Finn; jaws open with every fang showing. Tino hastily rolled to the side, before spinning around and kicking Mathias with both feet right in the side of its face. It lost balance and crashed to the ground, yelping in pain as it landed badly on its bad arm.

Tino smirked. He was winning. But he was getting tired. He couldn't keep this up for much longer. He had to finish it soon.

Sudden movement caught his eye, and he snapped his head to the staircase.

* * *

Emil sighed; this hallway felt like it went on forever! Well, at the pace he was going, it might as well go on forever. Hell, he could practically _feel_ Berwald's eyes on his back, ready to leap into action despite his words at any change in his slow, limping pace.

But at last, he saw the floor start to dip, and knew he was coming to the top of the staircase. But that was a problem in itself. Although going upstairs was a lot worse than going downstairs, it was still a painful task for someone whose leg was complaining with every step.

When he got to the top of the stairs, he scanned the scene below him, and froze in place at the sight.

The front door was wide open, and there was a werewolf slowly getting up. It looked slightly dazed, as if it had been hit on the head. Tino was stood a few metres away from it, smirking slightly as if proud of something, before snapping his head up at Emil's direction and locking eyes with him.

Emil gulped nervously; if Tino was bad before, mothering him and keeping him in bed, then he could only _imagine_ how crazy he'd be now the Icelander was walking around when his leg still hadn't healed. But it would _soon._ And a little exercise is good, right?

Emil suddenly noticed something speeding towards a distracted Tino, who hadn't noticed it.

"Tino! Behind you!" Emil yelled, slightly panicked. He watched as Tino eyes widened in alarm and spun on his heel, holding his staff horizontally with two hands at chest-height. And he was just in time, as Mathias' arm clashed with the staff, four 'fingers' on top of the staff while the 'thumb' was hooked underneath the weapon.

Tino was driven back a few feet by the sudden force, but quickly regained his balance and pushed back against the werewolf. Mathias snarled at him, tail lashing from side to side as it was being slowly driven back and put on the defence.

Emil sighed in relief as he saw Tino winning the battle of brute strength. _Of course,_ he thought with a small smile, _Tino is crazy strong. When it comes down to brute strength, he rivals even Berwald._

Suddenly, Mathias' left foot slipped, and it lost its balance, falling to the ground. Unfortunately, its claws were still hooked around Tino's staff, so he was dragged down with Mathias.

Emil started to walk down the stairs, concerned about Tino, but stopped when the Finn raised an arm and hastily shook it, as if urging him to stop and head back up. He was confused, but obeyed and turned around, heading back up the two or three steps he'd gone down. And it was true: going _up_ stairs was a lot worse than going _down_ stairs with a bad leg.

When Emil got back to the top of the stairs, he leant on the banister and watched as Tino suddenly got up, dropping his staff and grabbing the fur on Mathias' chest. Once he'd got a firm grip, he held his arm behind him and took a couple steps forward, facing Emil. Then he started running, before skidding to a halt and shooting his arm over his head, before letting go of the werewolf's chest fur, sending it flying into the side of the staircase. In fact, the entire motion looked very much like a catapult. First, loading the thing to throw. Then launching it at the opposing side. Except Tino included running to throw Mathias further, much like with a javelin.

When the dust had cleared from the impact, Mathias was unconscious and there was a crater in the side of the staircase.

"Hey Tino, are you trying to kill me or something?!" Emil shouted angrily, not even bothering to hide the rage in his voice. But it only lasted for a second, as he realised something. _He non-verbally told me to go back up the stairs so I wouldn't be caught up in that last attack. How can I be mad at him after he did that?_

"Emil! Are you alright?" Tino asked worriedly, already starting to run upstairs towards the Icelander.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Emil responded, back to his emotionless tone.

Tino panted, hands clutching his knees as he doubled over after running upstairs. He wasn't unfit; it's just after fighting pretty much _all night_ , then running up some stairs right after the last battle was quite tiring.

"G-good." He said between pants, before steadying his breath and straightening up.

There was a short silence before Emil asked, "What time is it?"

Tino glanced at a clock that hung on the staircase wall. "5:02:23 AM. The sun will rise in about half an hour, give or take a few minutes."

He smirked as Emil mumbled, "You didn't have to be so precise."

"Anyway, how's Berwald and Lukas?"

Emil looked down at the mention of his brother. "Berwald's alright, but his ankle's still injured."

"And Lukas?"

"He's… _different_."

Tino raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Emil swallowed, feeling a lump rise in his throat as he had to actually _say_ what was wrong with the Norwegian. He took a deep breath and said in a quick voice, "Lukas-is-a-half-werewolf."

Tino raised his hands and pushed the air in a motion to slow down. "Whoa, whoa, slow down! I can't understand you."

Emil sighed in an exasperated tone. "Lukas is a half-werewolf." He repeated in a slower tone, feeling disgusted as he said it. It was bad enough that Mathias had to go through pure agony as he transformed, but Lukas would only partially transform, meaning his body would be half-wolf, half-human. It creeped Emil out to imagine what he'd look like.

To his surprise, Tino only sighed and nodded. "Great."

"I thought you'd be shocked, not sarcastic." Emil admitted.

"Well, Fenris told me that Lukas would partially turn, but I didn't want to believe it. But you've just confirmed it."

"Fenris?"

"It's…complicated."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

An uncomfortable silence passed over the two, before Tino began filling Emil in on the events that had happened whilst he was 'hospitalised', including Mathias getting his arm ripped off, Fenris taking control of him, and the different battles that went off during the night.

Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched whine startled the pair, who were currently sat on the floor, leaning against the banister, while Tino was finishing his explaining.

Another soon followed, along with what sounded like frantic scrabbling.

And the noise was coming from just below them.

Cautiously, Tino got up and leant over the banister, soon spotting the werewolf on the floor, with its fur slowly melting into its body.

Tino started quick-walking downstairs, but not before telling Emil to _stay put or else_.

Once he'd reached the base of the stairs, he headed over to Mathias. As he reached the werewolf, he frowned at the sight before him.

The fur did indeed look like it was slowly melting _into_ its body, and the claws on its paws were retracting into the fingers and toes. The jaw was morphing into a human jawline, and the pop and cracks of the skeletal structure melding back into that of a human were clearly heard.

Tino watched in silence as the whole scene unfolded before his eyes.

* * *

But finally, after what felt like hours, the transformation ended, an in place of the werewolf lay Mathias, as a human with tattered, ripped clothes. One of his sleeves was entirely ripped off, and the arm itself was covered in blotchy, pink skin. His nails were barely past the actual fingers, and just like the werewolf, there were next to no muscles on the arm.

Mathias' eyes flickered open, and he blinked slowly a couple times, still a bit dazed. Then again, anyone would be if they were catapulted across a room into a hard staircase head-first by a very strong nation.

 _Where…am I?_ Mathias thought as his surroundings gradually came into focus. He noticed someone next to him, looking down on him. He knew that person from somewhere…but where?

Suddenly, all the events of before he turned came rushing back to him, and he let out a small gasp.

"T-Tino?" He asked, worried that he might have hurt the Finn.

"Yes, it's me, Mathias. Don't worry; you're fine. Well…most of you." Tino's eyes flickered to his arm, and the Dane followed his gaze. _Wow. My arm looks terrible. It hurts terrible, too. Wait, that doesn't make any sense. Gah, my head hurts too much to think this over. Hang on – why does my head hurt anyway?_ Mathias thought to himself, confused.

"Hey, Tino."

"Yeah?"

"Why does my head hurt?"

"…"

"Tino?"

"I may or may not have thrown you across the room."

"What?!"

Suddenly, Tino leapt onto Mathias, hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry! I had no choice! Please forgive me!"

 _It sounds like he's about to start crying. And why is my shirt getting wet? Oh wait – he_ is _crying._

"Alright, alright, calm down, quit crying. I forgive you and everything, blah blah blah. Seriously, it's not that big a deal." Mathias reassured, and the Finn stopped crying. He pulled back, wiping his eyes.

"You're acting like a little kid." Mathias murmured.

"You _are_ a little kid."

"I'm taller than you."

"I didn't mean physically."

Mathias raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then what did you mean?"

"I meant mentally."

"Hey! I take offence at that!"

Tino chuckled. "You should."

Mathias pouted.

A relaxing silence filled the room, although it wasn't _completely_ silent. The constant _thud, thud, thud_ of a certain Icelandic nation limping downstairs was quite loud and actually pretty annoying.

"Hey, Matthias."

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Mathias frowned, locking eyes with the Finn. "Sure. What is it?"

"Why were you acting like you were going to eat me when you were a werewolf?"

The Dane's eyes widened and he tensed. Tino was alarmed by his reaction.

"I-I'm sorry! You don't have to answer if you don't want to-"

Mathias cut him off by raising his good hand. "No, it's fine." He took a deep breath and began, "The last three nights are the worst, although the last night, the actual night of the full moon, is by far the worst of them all."

He glanced past the Finn as Emil limped over to them. As soon as he got close enough, he flopped down on the floor, gently massaging his bad leg.

"Thank God you're back, Mathias." Emil said with a tiny hint of relief in his voice.

Mathias nodded, and replied, "I'm explaining something to Tino. You may want to listen in."

Emil's ears perked in curiosity. "What's it about?"

"You'll find out." Mathias looked down at the floor and continued, "This is the fifth night, isn't it? And I've been trying my damn hardest to try and control the beast as much as possible."

Tino frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"If I wasn't in control _at all_ , you'd all be _dead_."

"…What?"

Mathias sighed. "Basically, it takes all my power to stop the werewolf from killing you. But injuries are inevitable. Do you get me?"

Emil nodded. "I do."

"Hang on. When we first saw you turn, you looked fairly hungry then. Why's that?" Tino asked.

"Because it was the first time in a long time that I'd turned around other people. It made the werewolf crave human meat, thus making it look hungry. After that, it just sought to kill; then, possibly, feast on you." Mathias explained.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense."

"But on the fifth night, the hunger and desire to kill gets stronger, and I have a hard time controlling it."

"Seriously?" Emil said, surprised.

The Dane nodded. "Yeah. But the seventh night's the worst night. I have next to no control then."

"Oh. Well, thanks for telling us. If it's alright with you, we'll tell Berwald and Lukas." Tino got to his feet.

"It's fine with me. In fact, I'd very much like you to tell them." Mathias got up, before remembering something. "Oh, right! How is Berwald and Lukas?"

Tino turned away and walked a couple of steps before stopping and replying, not looking back, "Berwald's fine. Just a bad ankle. And Lukas…" he trailed off before looking over his shoulder and locking eyes with Mathias. Then he continued, "Lukas is a half-werewolf. I'm sorry; I have to go now." He sniffled a bit and took off up the stairs.

Mathias nearly fell over after the second to last sentence. He was relieved that Berwald wasn't too badly hurt, but Lukas was a…half-werewolf?

He turned sharply to Emil, who was slowly getting back up. "Emil! Did you know about this?! Tell me!" He demanded angrily.

Emil, taken aback by the sudden anger, stuttered, "Y-yeah."

Mathias took a deep breath through his nose and closed his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"No, it's fine." Emil had gotten up now.

"Can I go see him? I need to ask Lukas a few questions."

"Yeah, sure."

Emil started to lead Mathias, but once he got to the base of the stairs, he stopped. "Stairs. My mortal enemy." The Icelander muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Stupid stairs."

Mathias raised an eyebrow and wordlessly scooped Emil up in his arms, carrying him bridal-style. Although it was a fairly lopsided bridal-style, as his bad arm was still very weak and painful.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Put me down!" Emil yelled, but mostly in surprise at suddenly being picked up.

"What? Do _you_ want to walk upstairs by yourself?"

Emil grumbled something inaudible and remained silent.

Smirking, Mathias began to walk upstairs.

About halfway up, Emil mumbled "Bear" under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Mathias asked.

"Bear." Emil repeated in a louder voice.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"No, not really."

"I'll drop you."

"Fine, fine!" Emil rolled his eyes. "You're a bear because you're carrying _another person,_ _upstairs_ , with a _bad arm,_ and you act like it's _nothing_!" He added emphasis on certain words.

Mathias half-shrugged. "Meh."

"Meh?"

"Meh." Mathias repeated, nodding.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"No, not really."

"Tell me now what you meant by 'meh'."

"I'll drop you."

"That's not fair!"

Mathias smiled, saying nothing, as they finally reached the top of the staircase. _This is going to be very interesting,_ Mathias thought, chuckling quietly.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lukas and Mathias are back to normal. But when Tino hears a strange noise from the kitchen and investigates it, he starts to wonder if Mathias ever did turn back to 'normal'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Tino walked to the bathroom, eyebrows creased in worry. He kept having dark thoughts about what might happen next – and he didn't like them one bit. But checking on Lukas was his top priority at the moment, so he kept moving forward, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind.

As he arrived at the bathroom, he found the door open a crack and quiet voices. Slowly, he opened the door and peered in. The sight he was met with was worrying but also slightly relieving.

Lukas was laying with his back on the floor as Berwald knelt beside him, tending to small cuts and bruises littering the Norwegian's fair skin. They were talking to each other, but stopped when they spotted Tino.

"Lukas! Are you okay? And you, Berwald! Are you hurt anywhere?" Tino rushed in, frantically checking them over for any serious injuries.

"We're fine." Berwald assured him, placing a hand on the Finn's shoulder. "My ankle's still healing, but other than that I'm fine. But Lukas…"

"What? You said you were both okay? Oh! Is it an internal wound?" Tino fretted.

Berwald shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Other than the cuts and bruises, the only injury he's got is the bite on his shoulder. But that's healing a bit quicker than mine, which leads me to believe that because of his current condition, he heals a bit faster than the rest of us." Then his eyes widened slightly from behind his glasses. "Do you know about his condition?"

Tino nodded. "Yeah." Then he locked eyes with Lukas. "But you must be hurting somewhere! Tell me, and I can help!" He started to edge closer to the Norwegian.

Lukas weakly waved him away, saying, "I'm…fine."

Tino raised an eyebrow in concern. "You don't sound 'fine'."

"I'm just tired…" He mumbled, before sighing. "I can't believe I'm a…monster."

Berwald shook his head at him. "You're not a monster, Lukas."

"Yes I am! Well, _half_ a monster, but then that makes me a mutilated, disgusting monster!"

" _Stop it!"_ Tino shouted, silencing the pair of them from any further comments. "I will _not_ sit here and listen to you talk bad about yourself, Lukas! There's got to be a cure; there just _has_ to be!"

Lukas, stunned by Tino's outburst, closed his eyes. After about ten seconds, he opened them again, locked eyes with the Finn, and said, "Do you really believe there's a cure?"

"What do you mean? Don't tell me you've given up!"

"I never said that. But Mathias had been stuck with this for _three hundred years_ , and no doubt he's been trying to find a cure in that time. But he hasn't found one, so why believe I'm any different? Some things…just aren't curable."

"My God…you're such a downer sometimes." A new voice startled the three in the bathroom, and they all looked over at the door to see Mathias and Emil in the doorway.

"Mathias…" Lukas breathed, before starting to sit up, ignoring the complaints of his tired limbs. The Dane walked forward, before sitting on the floor and hugging Lukas, taking him completely by surprise.

"What are you-" He tried to say, but was cut off.

"I won't lie; I _have_ searched for a cure since I was bit, but I still haven't found it. But whatever you do, don't give up."

"But I'm a half-breed. I failed at helping you, ending up just like you instead, so I might as well just accept it."

"Giving up and accepting failure are two completely different things." Mathias released the Norwegian and placed his hands (careful with his still healing one) on either side of his shoulders. "When you fail, you use that failure to fuel your mind and body, and try again. Giving up is thinking you can't do something, and not bothering to try. Or, trying and failing, then thinking you can't do it and it's impossible and abandoning it."

He took a deep breath, before continuing, "Accepting failure means that you realise that you didn't succeed at something. You can then either give up, or try again. You're just giving up."

No-one spoke after that. After a while, Lukas murmured, "Wow, Mathias. I didn't know you could be so deep and meaningful."

Mathias grinned and rubbed the base of his nose. "I do have my moments." Then his smile faded and he dropped his hand, before sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Now, onto the more important matters at hand."

Emil limped in and sat on the toilet (with the lid down of course), stretching his bad leg away from his body to lessen the painful waves it was sending up his body for overworking it.

Berwald got up and leant against the wall, and Tino took his place by Lukas' side.

"Okay. So you're a half-werewolf, right? Well, does anyone know what it looks like when Lukas turns?" Mathias asked, looking round.

"I saw a bit, but not the complete transformation." Berwald stated.

"It was only a partial transformation, anyway." Lukas said quietly.

"Partial? Well, that's to be expected. How much did it cover or can't you remember?" Mathias locked eyes with the Norwegian.

"All I can remember is that it started at where Fenris bit me." Lukas began, pointing at his shoulder. "It went up my neck, down my arm and covered my torso. I don't remember anything after that."

"Hang on," Emil spoke up, "there's something I don't get here. How can you only _partly_ turn into something?"

"In an incredibly painful way." Mathias replied. Emil raised an eyebrow at him, urging him to explain. "Basically, there's the human body structure and the werewolf body structure. With me, my entire body changes from that of a human to a werewolf. It's painful in between, sure, but after that I don't feel any pain unless it's inflicted by something or someone. Do you get me?"

"Yeah." Berwald nodded curtly.

"Good. But Lukas is different. He only part turns, which means he's constantly in pain from the areas that are on the edge of human and werewolf. He has two clashing body structures, which means he should have some form of difficulty moving."

"But he was bashing against the door." Emil argued. "If he had difficulty moving, then how could he do that?"

The Dane hummed thoughtfully, before replying, "Well, I suppose the pain and confusion, not to mention fear, all caused by transforming for the first time, must have sent him into a blind panic, thus making him try to escape."

"I think I get it." Tino murmured. "Lukas was scared and confused, and must have felt cramped in the bathroom, so tried to get out."

"But I don't remember _why_ I wanted to get out of the room, so we're just theorising here. Is there a problem with my memory or something now?" Lukas asked, face betraying no emotion.

Mathias shook his head. "No. Think about it like this. You know how bipolar people sometimes have gaps in their memory after a manic episode?"

"Yeah, but what has bipolarity got to do with-"

The Dane raised a hand to cut him off. "I'm getting to that. Well, think about your time when you've turned as a manic episode. You do crazy – and dangerous – things as a werewolf, and in the morning, you don't have any memory of it. You get me?"

Lukas was quiet for a minute, deep in thought, before his eyes widened slightly in understanding. "I get what you mean. My memory loss is like a stronger effect of a manic episode." He looked down, and added, "Is it always going to be like this?"

Mathias ruffled his hair. "Ah, don't worry kiddo. It'll get better once we find a cure."

"I'm not a kiddo. And do you really believe there's a cure?"

The Dane grinned, flashing a thumbs-up. "'Course! Where there's a poison, there's an antidote. You just need to know where to look."

Tino smiled. "You don't seem to be freaking out as much as I thought you would."

Mathias glanced at him, a smile still playing on his lips. "Don't get me wrong; I still want to kick that damn werewolf's ass-"

"Its name is Fenris." Tino informed.

"I don't care what it calls itself, I just want to hit it. Hard."

"As do I. That devil has made my life a living hell. Does it really think I'll just let it go?" Lukas chimed in.

Mathias chuckled to himself before saying to the Norwegian, "Well, there's only one way to go about this."

Lukas raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"I'll start by training you."

Emil frowned. "What are you on about?"

Tino added, "You have next to no control when you're a werewolf. How can you train him when you can't do it yourself?"

"Excuse me, I _can_ control myself – well, as much as possible anyway. But he needs to learn how to hold back from killing people as much as possible."

"Okay. How do I do it?" Lukas asked.

"First, by sleeping."

"What?" Lukas bit back a yawn.

"I can tell you're tired. Sleep for a few hours, then we'll start. No point trying when you're falling asleep on the spot."

Grumbling under his breath, the Norwegian got up, heading to his room with Tino helping him despite his complaints about it.

Mathias soon left the less crowded bathroom, heading towards the stairs. Curious, Emil began to follow (after slowly getting up, of course), but was held back by Berwald.

"No. You go rest. I'm sure he's fine." Berwald said. But after seeing the uncertain expression flashing across the Icelander's face, he added, "If it makes you feel any better, _I'll_ go check on him."

Emil nodded. "Yeah, thanks. By the way, it's an absolute nightmare to get downstairs when you can barely walk." He limped past the Swede and headed to his room. Tino emerged from Lukas' room a few minutes later, just missing the struggling Icelander. Berwald knew Emil would only refuse his help, so he didn't bother trying, but remained ready to help anyway.

The Finn walked over to him, asking, "Where's Emil? I saw Mathias walk past Lukas' room, but I don't know where he went."

"Emil's gone to his room, and Mathias went downstairs." Berwald informed, starting to unsteadily walk down the corridor.

Tino frowned at him and moved to help him. At first, the Swede tried to shrug him off, but soon gave up and allowed Tino to help him.

But when Berwald's door came up, Tino began to turn towards it, only to find Berwald had no intention of going in.

"What are you doing? You've got to rest your ankle." Tino frowned at him.

"I told Emil I'd go check on Mathias. He seems to think something bad will happen."

"Well, you're in no state to go down a flight of _stairs_. You were probably up all night; as was I. At least Lukas and Emil are catching up on their sleep, and so should we, I guess. I'll go tell Mathias to try and get some sleep. You need to rest, so don't even _think_ about coming after me." Tino ordered sternly.

Berwald sighed in defeat and nodded. Tino clapped his hands together. "Great! I won't be long; don't worry."

With that, he started heading down the corridor, and Berwald retreated to his room.

* * *

As Tino descended the stairs, he got the feeling something wasn't right. Concerned, he quickened the pace, before freezing when he heard a wet _thud_.

He soon snapped out of it, though, and dashed over to the kitchen, where the noise had come from.

Opening the door, he instantly felt sick at the sight.

Mathias was crouched on the table, hungrily tearing into a raw steak. Blood splattered everywhere from the meat which was brutally ripped apart in the Dane's vicious hunger.

His head snapped up when he heard the door open, and locked eyes with Tino. The Finn couldn't supress a shudder at those eyes. They were usually filled with joy and care, if not over-protectiveness, but now they were just cold and hard. And the hunger that shone in them was frightening.

Even more so when Mathias' eyes lit up after seeing Tino, as he were a juicy steak. _His eyes…he's so hungry. I've never seen him like this-_ Tino's thought were cut off as he remembered last night. Mathias had tried to _eat_ him. Was that affecting him now, even as a human?

In one swift movement, Mathias sprang from the table - much like an animal – and knocked Tino to the ground, where he pinned him down, mouth open and eyes sparkling with crazed glee.

Tino tried to get him off, but he had a strong grip, especially like this. However, just as Mathias was about to bite down on the Finn, his eyes suddenly filled with recognition, and he leapt back as if he'd been stung.

Tino, still shocked by what had just happened, slowly stood up, never shifting his gaze away from Mathias, who was panting and desperately trying to wipe away all the blood dribbling down his chin.

As if he were a dangerous animal that might snap at any time, Tino slowly approached Mathias. "…Math…ias…?" He asked cautiously, flinching when the Dane stared at him.

Mathias watched fearfully as the Finn got closer and closer, until the full realisation of what just happened hit him, and with a gasp he scrambled to the other side of the kitchen, hands tugging his hair and his head down.

Concerned and confused, Tino quick-walked over to him, knowing that Mathias wasn't going to hurt him, and crouched down. Grabbing each of his arms, Tino gently separated Mathias' hands from his hair, and lowered them down to his side.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a soft voice.

"I should be asking you that." Mathias answered in a low voice, before looking at Tino. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"What happened? I don't really understand."

The Dane sighed miserably. "I told you, the last few nights of the week are worse. But that doesn't mean I'm not affected in the _day_. I get this wild craving for meat, whether it be raw, cooked or…live. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize; you couldn't help it. I could tell you weren't yourself just now."

"I'll try and make sure it doesn't happen again but…no promises." Mathias looked down, ashamed at himself.

"Don't worry about it; no-one was hurt." Tino felt the urge to change the subject. "Anyway, I came down to tell you to go and get some sleep. You could use it, especially if you're going to 'train' Lukas." The Finn smirked at the idea of Mathias training someone.

The Dane nodded. "Okay. Can't argue with you there; I'm half-asleep now."

They both got up and exited the kitchen, before heading over to the stairs and climbing them.

Once they were outside Mathias' room, the Dane uttered a small 'thanks' and entered, leaving Tino alone in the hallway. It was almost silent, except for the movements of Mathias in his room, so he presumed the others were asleep.

Heading to his room, Tino glanced around at the empty corridor. _This is a story no-one'll ever believe. Except Arthur and Vladimir, who believe in the supernatural. I'm starting to doubt their stories about magical creatures a little less. And if Mathias tells Alfred or Gilbert, they'll either think he's making it up or go along with it._

Tino smiled faintly, before entering his room. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow, the exhaustion from his battles the previous night catching up with him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Lukas woke up a few hours later, and glanced over at his bedside clock. It was just past half one in the afternoon.

Groaning, he sat up in bed, stretching his arms – and immediately hissing in pain. His shoulder still hadn't healed fully, although it wasn't far off. However, it still hurt.

"I need some coffee." He mumbled aloud, standing up and heading towards the door. Just as he was about to open the door, a deafening knocking came from the other side.

Irritated, Lukas threw open the door and saw Mathias, a wide grin etched on his face. There was a faint trace of shadows under his eyes, and his hair was all over the place. _I probably look similar, though,_ Lukas thought as he took in the Dane's appearance.

"Come on, come on, time for training!" He said excitedly, nearly bouncing up and down.

Lukas rolled his eyes. "You're just like a little kid sometimes, you know."

Mathias groaned suddenly, unconsciously rubbing his healing arm, which had been bandaged.

"What's the matter?" Lukas asked, voice betraying no emotion.

"Nothing." The Dane turned and started walking away, saying over his shoulder, "Just hurry up, will ya? We only have, like, four and a half hours or something."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." Lukas quickly changed and brushed his hair, before exiting his room and heading downstairs, where Mathias had been going.

Once downstairs, he soon spotted the blonde, who had brushed his hair, at least. He was sitting on the couch, and Lukas went to sit opposite him in an armchair.

"Okay, now you're here, we can get started." Mathias said in a serious voice.

Lukas nodded. "Go ahead."

"Right. So first things first, do you remember _anything_ from last night?"

"Er…well, I remember pain. Like my body was being ripped apart and then slammed back together again. But then it felt like half my skeleton was dislocated or something, like it was constantly and painfully hitting against the other half of my skeleton. If that makes sense." The Norwegian realised half-way through his explanation how ridiculous it sounded.

But Mathias nodded as if he expected something along those lines. "Yeah, I thought so."

Lukas frowned. "What do you mean? Do you know someone who's…in a position like me?" Saying 'who's a half-werewolf like me' made him feel uncomfortable, so he opted for just 'position'.

Mathias shook his head. "No. But I found an old book."

"That's too vague. You'll have to explain."

The Dane sighed, before he began to explain.

* * *

~ Start of Flashback~

 _Denmark walked up to the front door of the man's house._ Is this a good idea? I doubt it, but I don't have any other choice. _He thought miserably as he knocked on the door._

_When the door slowly opened, it revealed an emerald-eyed blonde, who was a little surprised to say the least._

_"_ _Oh! Denmark! You don't usually visit, what are you doing here?" England asked._

_Denmark waved a hand half-heartedly. "Hey, England. Can I come in? I need to…discuss something with you."_

_Curious and suspicious at the same time, the Brit stepped back to let the Dane in, before closing the door behind him._

_After they both sat down in separate armchairs, England spoke up, "So, what did you want to discuss?"_

_Denmark took a deep breath, before replying, "I have a big problem."_

_England raised an eyebrow. "Oh? But I haven't heard of any serious trouble with your economy."_

_"_ _It's…not with my economy…" He trailed off nervously._

_"_ _Then…a problem as a human?"_

_"_ _Yeah. And I…I just don't know what to do." Denmark dropped his gaze to his hands, which were clasped firmly together in his lap._

_England frowned in confusion._ If he's got a serious problem, why come to me? What can I possibly do that his neighbours can't? _The Brit thought._

_After a minute of silence, Denmark explained everything that had happened the day he got 'infected'. England listened intently, interested by the situation._

_"_ _And that's what happened. But it's been a year and a half since then. It's the last week of_ every month _. I have to abruptly disappear and leave Norway and the others behind for an entire week, and when I come back, they always ask where I've been. They're suspicious, England. But…I don't want to tell them. Not yet, at least."_

 _"_ _I understand. I also know now why you would come to_ me _instead of your Scandinavian family. It's because I know of magic and magical beings, isn't it?"_

_Denmark nodded. "I only know of you, Romania and Norway who have some sort of connection with magic. I've heard of it, but I can't summon anything or whatever you do."_

_"_ _Alright. So now I know what happened, what do you suggest I do?"_

_Denmark stared at him for a moment, his blood turning to ice. "Y-you mean you don't know what to do?"_

_England sighed. "I've never had to deal with this sort of thing before. I've only read about it."_

_Denmark's eyes lit up with hope. "You've read about it? Do you have the book now?"_

_England hummed thoughtfully, before replying, "Yes, I think I do. Hang on; let me go look."_

_After twenty minutes of impatiently waiting for the Brit to return, England finally walked over to Denmark and showed him a book. It was a brown, leather-bound book with three long scratch-marks on the front cover. The title of the book read: 'A guide to werewolves'._

_"_ _You should consider yourself very lucky; this book only sold about twenty copies, and most of them have been destroyed or long since lost. Now," England opened the book and flicked to the middle page, "this book is split into two halves. The first half is about normal werewolves, and the second half is about magical werewolves. And if I'm not mistaken…" The Brit trailed off, flicking through the pages of the second half, scanning for a certain page._

_When he found it, he pointed to it and showed it to Denmark, before reading, "'There are only two known 'cures' for being infected with the poison of a magical werewolf. The first is death. Killing yourself or getting someone to kill you is an effective method, although it does mean, obviously, that the victim will die. However, there is one problem with this. Werewolves have a healing ability, which means that you must be_ _completely destroyed_.' "

 _England shuddered, and went on to read the second 'cure'. "'The other 'cure' is to find the source of your suffering, and kill it.' Well_ that _makes sense."_

_"_ _Why does the important stuff always have to be in riddles?" Denmark asked with a small smile._

_England also smiled slightly. "Because life wants to be hard on you."_

_"_ _Can't argue with that." Denmark frowned, deep in thought, before suggesting, "Well, the 'source of my suffering' probably means the werewolf that bit me."_

_England clicked his fingers. "Yes, that might be it. So basically, you have to find the werewolf that bit you and kill it? Seems simple enough, but it doesn't really make much sense at the same time."_

_"_ _No. No it doesn't. But the method doesn't really work for me."_

_England raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that?"_

_Denmark smiled sadly. "Because I have no idea_ where _the werewolf is."_

_England frowned. "Oh…hang on, what do you mean?"_

_"_ _I mean that it just…vanished. I don't know where it went."_

_"_ _Hmm. Well, I can't do much more than give you that book and wish you good luck. And…this is my fault, isn't it?"_

_Denmark nearly choked on air. "Wh-what? It's not your fault! Where'd you get_ that _from?"_

 _"_ _Because it was_ my _book that I gave to Norway, which lead to…all this."_

 _Denmark stood up and placed a hand on the Brit's shoulder. "Listen. This is_ not _your fault. So do_ not _blame yourself. It was my fault for allowing Norway to practice magic. It was my fault for not being strong enough to defeat the werewolf. And it is still my fault, to this day. The only way to fix all this is to kill that goddamn werewolf, if it ever shows itself."_

_Denmark took the book and walked towards the front door, before opening it and hearing England say quietly, "I'm sorry." Then the door shut._

~End of Flashback~

* * *

Lukas silently listened to Mathias' story, and when it ended, he remained quiet. After a few minutes, he spoke up, "So…now that Fenris, the werewolf that bit you, has shown up, then all you have to do is kill it and you'll be cured?"

Mathias nodded, but Lukas still had a couple of questions. "Why didn't you go to Vladimir as well as Arthur?"

"My original plan was to go to Vladimir if Arthur wasn't helpful. But after I got the book, I didn't find it necessary to go to Vladimir."

Lukas nodded in understanding and Mathias continued, "The book told me a lot about werewolves, including the whole concept of half-werewolves. It also said something that you ought to know."

The Norwegian raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh? And what is that?"

"Why you're cured if the werewolf is killed."

"That was my next question. So go on; tell me."

"Basically, the poison establishes a link between the victim and the source. The poison can't live off of only the victim's body. In order to transform, the poison needs a lot of magical energy. A non-magic-user can't supply the necessary magic power, so it instead uses the magical energy that belongs to the original werewolf."

The Dane glanced at Lukas to make sure he was following, before continuing, "The poison takes magical energy from the werewolf every evening before the change for seven days. Each time, it takes a little more energy. Essentially, this also makes the victim wilder and acts more like a true werewolf. This also affects them in the day, albeit not as strong. The original werewolf needs the daytime to recover and replenish its stores of magical energy. After the week, the poison doesn't bother the victim or the werewolf until the next week leading up to the full moon."

"Hang on." Lukas raised a hand to stop the Dane from continuing. "Why does the poison only bother everyone in the week leading up to the full moon? Why not all the time?"

"Because the fuller the moon gets, the more it triggers the poison."

"Care to elaborate?"

Mathias sighed. "What I mean is the night of the full moon is the grand finale. Take a wolf, for example. Wolves howl at the moon, right? Well a werewolf is still part-wolf, in a way. So the poison will reach its climax on the night of the full moon. The more fuller the moon gets, the more the poison reacts to it, making the victim more wild and dangerous. Do you get me?"

"I…think so. But what has this got to do with training me?"

"I just wanted you to know this before we get to training."

"Well now I know, could you actually, you know, _train_ me? It's now," Lukas glanced at the clock, "quarter past two."

"Yeah, yeah. The problem is, I can't _physically_ train you. I can only mentally train you. So this training is mostly explaining to you how to hold back and everything."

Lukas sighed and shifted slightly to get more comfy.

"Okay. So first I'll tell you something I remembered once. It was a night I turned, and there was a camping trip that I never realised was there. I could only watch my body move against my will. I could hear the thoughts that I didn't want to think were mine. They consisted of killing, destroying and just all-around chaos."

His gaze dropped to the floor as he continued, "I remember ripping apart one of the tents, revealing a couple of people. It was two boys, only aged around ten, I think. I didn't want to kill them, but that was the only thing those horrid thoughts were saying. 'Kill, kill' was repeated over and over. It was horrible. My arm was raised, and was about to swing for one of the boys, when I grew more frantic and desperate. I didn't want to kill them. I didn't. Suddenly, I felt like I was grabbing my arm from the _inside_. It was a tough struggle, but I managed to slow down my arm and veer it off to the side slightly. Luckily, it only grazed the boy's arm."

Lukas frowned slightly. "So what you're saying is that you have to…grab your body from the inside?"

"Look, I know it sounds ridiculous, but I promise you, it works. I don't know how or why I remembered that night, but I'm grateful for it. I can't remember much, if any, of what happens when I transform, but at least I know to grab my body before I deliver a fatal or serious blow. But…it's not enough. Someone still gets hurt."

"Well, an injured person is better than a dead person. No-one here blames you except you." Lukas reassured Mathias in a soft and gentle tone, before clearing his throat. "And I think I get what you mean now. I'll try and remember it."

"Uh…yeah."

"There's one more thing I don't understand."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Arthur, Vladimir and I can see magical creatures, but no-one else can. None of you here can see my troll, for example. So why is it that we can see Fenris?"

"Because when someone close to you has some sort of magical side, you grow Accustomed."

"'Accustomed'? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you unconsciously become able to see a magical creature of that species. But with your troll, it's not exactly close to us; it's only close to you. But because I'm a werewolf, you've all grown Accustomed to it and can now see any werewolf you come across, including half-werewolves such as you, Lukas. At first, you wouldn't have been able to see me after I transform. If you constantly see me as a werewolf, it would only take a few years to grow Accustomed to werewolves. But you only ever saw the side effects during the day, and even _that_ wasn't very often. Therefore, it took a _lot_ longer to grow Accustomed."

"How long?"

"Hmm…I'd say about a hundred and fifty years, at least."

"What?!" Lukas' eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah. That's why if a mortal did what I did – disappearing for the entire week -, then no-one would have guessed that they were a werewolf and no-one would have grown Accustomed. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. It's just…a lot to take in."

"I know."

Suddenly, Lukas threw himself at the Dane, and gave him a rare hug. "You've had to suffer for so long, and we never noticed! Even in the hundred and fifty years after we grew Accustomed, we never noticed! _I_ should have, at least! I'm so sorry!"

Lukas didn't realise that a few tears had started to fall down his cheeks until Mathias pointed it out. "Shh, Lukas, don't cry. It's alright. I made sure you'd never find out – until now, that is. Please don't cry. I prefer you when you're not upset."

The Dane continued to comfort Lukas until he'd completely stopped crying. The Norwegian broke the hug, and said, "Don't tell _anyone_ I was crying."

Mathias grinned. "Awww, is someone embarrassed?"

Lukas blushed and snapped furiously, "Don't tease me! I am _not_ embarrassed!"

"Your face says otherwise."

"Shut up!"

The Dane chuckled.

"Don't chuckle!"

Mathias broke into a laugh.

"Stop laughing!"

But Lukas then decided that a little laughing couldn't hurt, and so he joined in, although not as loud as the Dane.

Little did they know, Emil, Tino and Berwald were watching them from the top of the stairs the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Long chapter. Stupidly long chapter. Oh well.
> 
> I was right. This is more of a filler chapter. Sorry about that.
> 
> On the bright side, this story is nearly completed! If I had to guess, I'd say there's about five or six more chapters. Something like that.
> 
> Well, I guess I'll see you in the next chapter~


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mathias suddenly goes crazy and attacks the nearest person, who happens to be Lukas. Luckily, Tino acts quick enough to save the both of them. We then learn some more about the werewolf curse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

There was a brief moment of silence, before Mathias hummed thoughtfully, gazing off into the distance. Lukas raised an eyebrow at the sudden noise.

But the Dane paid him no attention; instead, he kept humming, although the pitch sank deeper and deeper until it sounded quite scary.

"Why are you humming like that?" Lukas asked, hiding his irritation.

No response, only humming. It sounded like he was considering doing something bad, but not entirely sure if he should. It unnerved Lukas.

"Hey, idiot! I'm talking to you!" He hoped that sounding angry and calling Mathias an idiot would bring him down to earth.

It had the desired effect. Mathias snapped his head to look at Lukas, completely silent. It creeped the Norwegian out even more, and he edged away from him.

The Dane uttered a low growl, and without warning, sprang at Lukas, knocking him off the couch and onto the floor, very nearly bashing his head on the coffee table next to them.

"Wha-?!" Lukas, caught off guard by the sudden movement, started wrestling with the taller man. "Get off me!"

Mathias licked his lips hungrily, a feral look in his eyes. This wasn't the Mathias that Lukas was familiar with. _What the hell?!_ The Norwegian thought as he desperately struggled with the Dane, who had successfully pinned him down, making his arms unable to move.

"BaD pReY…" Mathias said in a psychotic voice, while grinning maliciously. "Be A gOoD pReY aNd SiT sTiLl!" The Dane suddenly brought his hands to Lukas' throat, and began to strangle him in an iron grip.

Lukas' eyes widened, and he grabbed Mathias' wrists with his newly freed hands, his attempts at wrestling the other man off of him more desperate.

* * *

The three other members of the house had begun to walk away from the scene of the two when they heard soft humming. But when there was a loud crash and shouting, they rushed to the top of the stairs to see what was going on.

Tino was first, as the other two had bad ankles, and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of Mathias pinning Lukas down. He started running down the stairs, only to freeze and stare with a look of horror as he heard Mathias' voice. _Don't tell me he's gone crazy again?!_ Tino thought as he resumed dashing down the stairs.

"Mathias!" The Finn yelled as he ran over. The man in question snapped his head up, a look of faint recognition in his eyes, before it was replaced with glee.

"YaY! mOrE pReY!" Mathias' grip around Lukas' throat tightened even further, and his face began to turn a pale blue colour from lack of oxygen.

"Let him go!" Tino shouted, grabbing one of Mathias' arms when he was close enough. He locked eyes with the Dane's, and he felt his blood go cold. _Those eyes…the same as the time in the kitchen with the meat…_ Tino tightened his grip on Mathias' arm, and began pulling on it. Luckily, it was the arm that still hadn't fully healed, causing Mathias to hiss in pain, loosening his grip slightly on Lukas.

"Dammit, get a hold of yourself! This isn't you!" Tino grabbed his other arm and began wrestling to free the suffocating Norwegian.

"No No, SiLlY pReY!" Mathias said in a sickly sweet voice. He sounded innocent, but really, he wanted nothing more than to rip them all apart. _Why is he speaking like that?_ Tino wondered. _That said, I didn't hear him speak at all last time this happened. Maybe he always speaks like this when he goes crazy?_

Tino took a step forward – mindful of Lukas' head – and slowly pushed the wild Dane back. Growling angrily when he realised he was losing, Mathias tried to tighten his grip on Lukas' throat, whose eyes were squeezed shut and mouth wide open, making Tino tighten _his_ grip around Mathias' bad arm.

After about twenty seconds, Tino, with one big push, sent Mathias tumbling backwards, freeing Lukas in the process, who immediately started coughing and wheezing, frantically taking in big gulps of air.

Tino helped him off of his back and rolled him over so he could breathe better.

"What…the-" Lukas began between gasps, but was interrupted by the Finn.

"Shhh, don't talk. Just focus on your breathing." He rubbed Lukas' back gently, before adding, "Will you be alright for a minute? I need to sort something out."

At Lukas' shaky nod, Tino carefully leant him against the couch, before standing up and cautiously making his way over to Mathias, who was rubbing his head.

"Mathias?" Tino called warily, unsure of what his reaction would be.

Groaning, the Dane looked up, dropping his hand from his head in the process. He swallowed nervously and started to wriggle backwards.

Tino took a few steps forward, crouched down and placed both hands on Mathias' shoulders. He flinched slightly at the touch, to which Tino reassured, "Don't worry; I won't hurt you. I can't blame you for what just happened-"

"I can." A voice interrupted them both. Tino glanced over his shoulder, looking at Lukas' angry face. His voice was scratchy and hoarse, as if he needed a glass of water, but spoke with a strong voice despite being strangled a minute ago.

One of Lukas' hands was held out with his palm facing the ceiling, as if demanding something. But what he wanted was an answer. "What the _hell_ , Mathias?! Why'd you try to _kill_ me?!"

Suddenly, Lukas remembered something from earlier. _'The more fuller the moon gets, the more the poison reacts to it, making the victim more wild and dangerous.'_ His eyes widened slightly as he recalled what Mathias had said to him.

"Earlier, you said something about the victim getting wilder and more dangerous – because of the poison and the moon and everything. Does it…affect the victim in the day as well?" Lukas asked cautiously, most of his anger faded.

Mathias sighed heavily, signs of exhaustion showing. It had been a rough night _and_ a rough day (now, anyway), so it was no wonder he was tired, even after briefly going to sleep. He non-verbally nodded in reply to Lukas' question.

"Hey! You alright?" Emil's voice startled the three as he and Berwald limped over to them.

Tino frowned. "What are you doing down here? Don't tell me you went down those stairs with those ankles of yours! Honestly, you two are so reckless."

Berwald shrugged. "Sorry it took us so long. We would have come quicker, but…"

"But stairs are a pain when you can't walk well." Emil finished, scowling slightly at his still healing leg.

"So…what just happened?" Berwald asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced over at Mathias and Lukas.

Mathias dropped his gaze to the floor. "It's one of the…side-effects of the whole werewolf thing."

"'Side-effects'?" Emil echoed. "What do you mean by that?"

"More or less going crazy and trying to either eat or kill anyone around you. It gets worse in the last few days." Mathias replied simply.

"It…happened this morning, as well." Tino spoke up quietly. At the other's alarmed glances, Tino frantically waved his hands in front of him. "No no, don't worry! No-one got hurt, and it's all fine now!"

Berwald raised an eyebrow but made no further comment. "Will this also happen to Lukas?"

Mathias thought for a minute before replying, "Not as strong. He may suddenly crave meat or want to hit something. If that happens, then you know what the problem is. You just have to wait it out. They're not usually long, but I think the longest one I ever had was twenty minutes or something. Oh, and I think his speech will sound different as well, but I'm not sure what like."

"It sounds kind of psychotic, like the person's completely innocent, but they secretly want to kill you. Something like that." Tino chimed in.

Mathias glanced at the clock. It read quarter to three. "We don't have a lot of time left. Three hours at most." He stood up, glancing at Lukas. "I need a word with you. Can you come with me?"

Lukas slowly nodded, following the Dane as he walked over to the staircase. He stopped and turned around, and began speaking rapidly, "Look, Lukas, I'm really sorry about what happened, I wasn't myself, and I couldn't help it, and I'm sorry, it won't happen again and I-"

Lukas clamped a hand over Mathias' mouth to get him to shut up. "Idiot, I know why you did it now, and I've forgiven you. Also, you talk way too fast. I could barely keep up." He lowered his hand, revealing a grin from the Dane.

"Awwww, thanks Lukas!"

Lukas raised an eyebrow. "For what? Saying you talk too fast?"

Mathias let out a bark of laughter. "No – for forgiving me."

Lukas shook his head. "You are weird sometimes."

He frowned. "How am I?"

"You just…are." The Norwegian replied with a small smile.

"That's mean!" But Mathias was laughing as he spoke, meaning he took no offence by it. But then his face grew serious. "You know, in some ways, you're lucky, but in others, you aren't."

Lukas was confused by the sudden mood change and the vagueness. "Lucky with what?"

"Being a half-werewolf."

"Oh." He understood where Mathias was coming from. Lucky because it wasn't a complete transformation, but unlucky for it was more painful that way. Lucky because the side-effects weren't as strong, but unlucky for his life had still changed drastically.

"But hey; we've still got about three hours. And there's one more thing I have to tell you about." Mathias changed the subject, but Lukas held up a hand.

"Okay, but before that, I need a glass of water. My throat's sore."

* * *

After Lukas had downed a glass of water, he and the others sat on the couch and a couple of armchairs. Mathias had said that it would be best for the other three to listen, as it was important.

"Okay, so this might get complicated." Mathias began. "You know how in those stories, the werewolves' weaknesses are always silver? Well, it's slightly different for magical werewolves. You see, silver _does_ hurt them, but not as strongly as an ordinary werewolf. But there is a type of silver which hurts them greatly."

Emil asked, "And what silver is that?"

"Silver embedded with Memory."

"Seriously? Will you quit being vague, and just explain properly the first time round?" Emil muttered.

"Well, it basically means an object made out of silver which is very personal to the victim. But not just the victim. Anyone who has Memory-Embedded Silver, or MES for short, can bring major harm to a werewolf."

"Hang on, I don't get it." Tino spoke up. "Could you use an example to make this easier to understand?"

"Okay, so how about Lukas' hair pin? It's silver and it's something very personal to him. This makes it an MES. Lukas can use his pin to hurt Fenris, for example. It may not be very sharp, but it will still burn the area it touches." He glanced at their confused faces and sighed. "Werewolves only come out at night, right? And the night is associated with darkness. Memory is seen as precious. And precious is associated with good things, which leads to light, as the idea that light is good and dark is bad – this kind of applies here. As the object is embedded with memory, it is seen as something to combat the darkness that is a werewolf. Do you get me?"

Tino slowly nodded. "Yeah. So the MES is light, and the werewolf is darkness. To defeat the darkness, you need light. So, to defeat a werewolf, you need an MES, right?"

"Essentially, yeah." Mathias replied. "A wound caused by an MES either doesn't heal or takes a _very_ long time to heal. I reckon the key to defeating Fenris is using these MESes ( **plural for MES** ) against it."

"Well, we know Lukas' – it's his hair pin. But what about us?" Berwald asked.

"You'll just have to find one. And no, before you ask – cutlery doesn't count. You can't throw a silver spoon at Fenris and expect it to do something." Mathias said with a slight grin. "Anyway, I know mine."

Lukas raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what is that?"

"My axe."

"That's metal, though. Metal isn't silver." Berwald argued.

"No, that's my normal axe. I have another axe. One made of silver. It's very precious to me, and it's made of silver. It's more of an ornament rather than a weapon, but still."

"Alright then. We still have to find ours though." Tino sighed. "But with Berwald and Emil's ankles, I wouldn't advise them fighting. Tonight's the sixth night, isn't it? So there's only tonight and tomorrow night before we have to wait another month. And we don't even know it Fenris will show up next month! So, it's really down to me, as Lukas and Mathias will be werewolves."

Mathias held up his index finger. "Ah, but I read about something that will help. I explained to Lukas earlier about grabbing your body from the inside when you've turned into a werewolf. Well, in a werewolf's state of mind, the MES that belongs to the victim is just an object in the way. But to the victim, it's a precious, personal object that they want to protect. So with this thought in their mind, the victim is able to prevent any harm coming to the object – if they're strong enough to do so. If they can gain enough control, then their MES won't harm them, even as a werewolf. But Fenris doesn't have an MES, so it can't use this method. Nor is it human, so it wouldn't work for it anyway. But if a human has enough control over their werewolf body, then their MES will cause them no harm. However, if their control slips, even for a few seconds, then the silver will burn them."

Lukas frowned. "So, if the human's in control, then they can wield their MES?"

Mathias nodded. "Yeah. Because the MES can't harm the person it's attached to, if you get me. But being in control is extremely tiring; not to mention hard. It's easy for you though, Lukas, as you only half-turn. Therefore, it's easier for you to take control. And if you _can't_ take control, then you could always just use your human hand to hold your pin, as the silver would only harm the werewolf part of your body. Tonight, we're going to try using MESes, hopefully. As long as Fenris doesn't kick our asses, that is."

"Why do I get the feeling that the final battle is going to be on the night of the full moon?" Lukas asked, more to himself than the others.

"Because it would make more sense. Fenris would probably want it to be then, anyway."

"Why?"

"Because why not." Mathias shrugged.

Lukas rolled his eyes. "One more question: when the human gains control over the werewolf, why does the MES not hurt them?"

"Like I said before, the MES can't harm the person it's attached to. Under some strange, unexplainable logic, it can't hurt the person. If the person isn't in control, the MES merely thinks of it as a werewolf as it can't sense the person. However, if the person's in control, then the MES can sense the person and therefore won't harm their body, even if they _are_ a werewolf." Mathias explained.

Berwald smirked. "You make it sound like the MES is alive."

"Well, in some respects, it is. People often talk to their most prized possessions as if they're alive. An MES is just someone's prized possession which is silver, that's all."

Berwald nodded. "Makes sense."

"Well, we've got under three hours left before you two transform." Tino stood. "I'm going to go find my MES – if I've got one, that is. But I bet I'll find it."

Berwald and Emil also stood. "I think if we should have one, just in case." Emil said, before heading towards the stairs. Berwald followed him, and noticed that Emil was glaring at the stairs as if they were evil.

"Well," Mathias also stood up, "I better go get my axe."

He was about to walk away when Lukas spoke up. "Wait."

The Dane turned around, waiting for Lukas to speak again as he got up.

"I just wanted to say…thanks for explaining so much to us. We…we would be lost without you to guide us through this." The Norwegian was fighting a blush as he spoke, his gaze directed towards the floor and his face turned away from Mathias.

The Dane was silent, surprised by Lukas' words, before smiling. "You're welcome. After all, you're all involved, so you have a right to know everything."

Lukas was quiet for a few seconds before he murmured, "Just wanted you to know." With that, he walked into the kitchen. He had a long night ahead of him; might as well get some coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The last bit is in no way romantic! No shipping here. Just thought you should know.
> 
> Anyway, concerning Mathias' psychotic speech, I just wanted to try writing with the technique of up-and-down capital letters. Well, that's what I call it, at least.
> 
> I was originally going to leave writing this chapter until next month, but I got a sudden burst of inspiration, so why not do it now? Also, one of the big reasons for my inspiration was Mely-Val (who commented on ff.net) mentioning about silver and Denmark's axe. Without that, I couldn't have wrote this chapter, so I'm really grateful to you for giving me ideas for the story! I hope you continue commenting, because the things you say help me write this thing.
> 
> Oh, and I know Lukas' hair pin probably isn't silver, but I looked it up on the internet and it never said what material it's made from. And since I need a silver object, why not make it silver?
> 
> Sorry, I'm going on and on here! I'll be quiet now.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After he transforms, Lukas tries out a few things and learns to stay in control. 
> 
> Meanwhile, everything seems to be going fine with Mathias until an unwanted guest shows up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

The next three hours passed by too quickly, it seemed, for the inhabitants of the Nordic House.

Lukas had his cross hairpin, Mathias had his axe, and Tino had his trusty bladed staff. Although his weapon was not an MES, he still decided to use it in the battle that was soon to come. Berwald and Emil were nearly completely healed, but they didn't possess an MES. However, they still had weapons, although they wouldn't do much, could still create a distraction and defend.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Lukas suddenly said to the other four, who were gathered together.

Tino tilted his head to the side. "Why?"

"I want to lock myself in, to ensure I don't harm any of you." He said in a monotone voice.

"Alright; if that's what you want." Mathias nodded. "Oh, and tonight, focus more on gaining and keeping control as much as you can, rather than wielding your MES."

"And if I master the whole control thing? _Then_ can I go onto my MES?" His voice was slightly sarcastic, knowing the answer before he asked it.

Mathias chuckled quietly. "Sure. Oh, and here's a helpful tip: the first time you try and pick your hairpin up, use your human hand. Then, if you're confident enough, try holding it in your werewolf hand – or paw; well, you know what I mean. You got that?"

Lukas nodded, and walked away, clutching his pin tightly in his hand, after he'd taken it out of his hair.

The Dane turned to the remaining three. He opened his mouth to speak, but Berwald beat him to it.

"I'll go keep guard outside the bathroom door like last time. You know, just in case he breaks through the bathroom door."

"Go for it. Just be careful." The Swede nodded in response, before walking the same way Lukas went.

"Okay, so I just want to say this: I wish I had the luxury of being able to just lock myself in a room, but unfortunately, I'd probably tear through the door. I _hate_ being in cramped spaces, and my werewolf side hates it more, I know that much. So, I'll go into the forest and practice using my axe."

"But there's a big problem." Emil spoke up. "Fenris. I doubt it'll sit still while we're – well, Lukas and Mathias, anyway – training up to wield harmful weapons against it. Lukas should be alright, what with being locked up, but…" He trailed off, looking uneasy.

"But Mathias'll be an easy target." Tino finished, glancing at the man in question.

"Well, I was just getting to that." Mathias pointed at them. "You have a choice: stay behind and help Berwald with Lukas, or come with me and keep a look out for Fenris."

"Well, I'd hate to leave you out here on your own…I'd probably kill myself with worry! I'll come with you." Tino decided.

Emil looked down at the ground. _If I stay here, I may be in the way. After all, Lukas didn't break out last time, and he was completely out of control. But if I go with Mathias and Tino, will my leg be able to handle it?_ Hating the fact that his last thought made him sound weak, he replied, "I'll go with you two. I'm sure my leg can handle it."

Mathias felt a sudden wave of pain surge through his body. He grimaced. "We better get going. Hopefully, we can make it fairly far into the forest before…yeah."

With that, the trio hurried to the front door and exited the house.

* * *

Lukas sat on the toilet seat, fingering his hairpin while he waited nervously for the transformation to occur. He wished there was some sort of spell to neutralise the werewolf poison, but he hadn't really looked at any spellbooks recently. In fact, it had been quite a while since he'd picked up a spellbook and tried out a new spell.

 _I wonder if I can perform magic as a werewolf,_ he pondered. _I would love to try it out, but I can't think of any spells off the top of my head. After all, it's been a while since I've needed to use one. Well, hopefully I can, because I'm sure it'll be useful in the fights against Fenris._

Lukas was drawn out of his thoughts when a fiery pain suddenly appeared in his right shoulder – the one which was bitten. Pinching on eye shut, he used his opposite hand to clutch his shoulder to try and lessen the pain – but he knew it wouldn't have any effect. This pain was _within_ his body, and no amount of pressure could minimize it. The pain soon spread down his arm, down the side of his torso, and down his leg – all on the same side. It also spread up the side of his neck and burned into his right cheek. His eye also started hurting.

It was one thing for the bones to clash in his torso, but in his face? It was excruciating. His right ear felt like it melted into the side of his face as a furry, black ear sprang up on the top of his head. Midnight black fur covered his cheek, forehead and around his eye, which had changed as well. The pupils had become long and thin – nothing but a slit, similar to that of a cat's in broad light, which would make the pupil smaller. The colour was still violet, although it was a lot sharper, brighter and piercing. It was in stark contrast to his left eye, which was dull and blunter. One human eye, one werewolf eye. Very different, even if they were still the same colour.

It looked very much like he was wearing a mask, with one side painted pale skin colour, and the other side painted black. However, it wasn't a straight, perfect line down the middle. It looked very much like raging waves – back and forth. At some points, it had stretched fairly far, but in others, it retreated a bit. The right side of his mouth held sharp, elongated fangs, and his mouth had partially stretched forward into the beginnings of a snout.

His hair had also seemed to melt into his head, replaced by coarse black fur. All in all, it looked hideous when a human's face and a werewolf's face were smashed together.

Lukas had slight trouble breathing as the bones in his neck moved. His body had to quickly adjust and make sure his windpipe could still function properly.

Long claws hung from his furry hand, which was slightly larger, along with his arm, which had grown strong muscles. His ribs popped and cracked as they moved to support a slightly larger frame, and his lung and after right hand organs also changed – painfully – to keep his body working while it as being tortured like that.

Lukas considered himself lucky that he had been bitten on the right side – if it were his left, he didn't know what would happen to his heart, but he knew for certain that it wouldn't be anything good.

He felt like his consciousness was slowly slipping away, as if he were entering a dream.

In a matter of seconds, he felt…different. He couldn't move anything – probably because he felt like nothing was there. As if he were drifting outside of his body.

The Norwegian suddenly felt his gaze shift to scan his surroundings. A…bathroom? _That's right,_ he thought, _I was in a bathroom before I transformed._ Without warning, his legs started moving without him commanding them to, and before he knew it, he – or rather, his _body_ – was exploring the bathroom.

Suddenly, something glinting on the floor beside the toilet caught his eye. Lukas' head moved down to inspect the object, which interested him as well.

Cautiously, his werewolf arm began reaching out to touch the object on the floor, before realisation dawned upon Lukas; it was his hairpin! He must've dropped it when he began transforming. _If my werewolf hand touches that, it'll burn me!_

Lukas tried to remember important points that Mathias had mentioned to him. He had to reach out and grasp his body from within. So he performed the movement as if to reach his right arm out, and was surprised to feel a sudden heaviness in the place where his right arm should be. It was as if…he'd grabbed his arm from within!

Feeling slightly confident that he could go further, Lukas proceeded to try and reach out to all corners of his body, and seize it.

Without warning, he felt the heaviness of his body return to him. Not that he was fat – but he got an overwhelming sense of lightness and freedom when he felt like he was drifting out of his body, so that when he took control, it felt heavy.

The Norwegian opened his mouth to say 'yes' or something to congratulate himself on his accomplishment, but all that came out was a quiet bark. However, if one were to look deeper into that sound, they would have been able to detect the sound of the letters for the word 'yes'.

 _Right, well I'm in control. I should try moving around for starters._ Lukas began slowly walking round, surprised at the unevenness in his step. His werewolf leg was slightly larger than his human one, so he was unbalanced. But he soon got used to it, and adjusted his walking style quickly to match the difference in his usual step to that of the half-changed one.

He frowned as he felt a strong tugging at his core, as if something were trying to drag him into himself. He smirked slightly, unsurprised that only the human side of his mouth co-operated. _Well, I'm strong enough now to fight against this tugging. But if I ever let my guard down, it will overwhelm me and I'll lose control. Hopefully, I can keep it like this._

Glancing down at the pin on the floor, he bent down and started to reach out with his right arm before he paused. _I think it would be best to use my human hand to start with,_ he thought as he withdrew his right arm, replacing it with his left.

Slowly, his fingers touched the pin, and he felt a little sting in response. Taking his fingers away, Lukas frowned at the pin on the floor. He was in control, so why had it stung him? _Unless I'm not_ completely _in control…_

Closing his eyes, Lukas focused on the tugging at his centre. He pictured it as a flickering, black light, as if it were a corrupted soul. He felt it raging, trying to spread all over his body. Lukas knew he had to find some way of caging this light. That way, he may be able to pick up his hairpin without it stinging him.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to imagine giant iron – no, _silver_ bars surrounding the light, connecting together with two silver slabs (base and top), to form a completely silver cage. Angrily, it tried to get out, but every time it smashed itself against one of the silver bars, it hissed in pain and jumped away, as if stung.

Opening his eyes, Lukas frowned as he noticed the tugging he'd felt had nearly gone. He'd successfully supressed the werewolf. _Beginner's luck,_ he thought to himself, before reaching out for the pin again, but keeping it safe with his left arm.

As his fingers connected with the hairpin, it flashed with a bright white light, before it faded, leaving the pin looking the same as always; except it was shinier.

Lukas slowly picked the pin up and held it in his hand. It didn't sting him. _I'm able to wield my MES,_ he thought with relief and even a little bit of pride. _Then again, it would do more damage in my werewolf arm, as that arm is undeniably stronger than my human one. I hope my hairpin won't hurt me, though._

Tentatively, he moved his arms closer to each other, before carefully sliding the hairpin out of his left arm and into his right. He closed his eyes, waiting for an immense pain, but he was greeted with nothing.

Opening his eyes again, Lukas stared at the hairpin that was sitting silently in the palm of his werewolf hand. Not even the slightest sting.

_I've done it. I know how to take control, I know how to supress the werewolf, and I can wield my MES. So why did Mathias make it sound like it was so hard?_

Then a thought struck him. _Because Mathias only had to book to guide him. He had no-one to teach him and explain it to him in terms he could properly understand. But he explained it to me. He's helping me through this, even though I've never helped_ him _through it._

Suddenly, Lukas remembered something. Mathias had mentioned how most of the time, he forgot the majority of the night. _If I forget, then I'll have to work out_ again _how to do everything._

Deciding on a way to remember, Lukas brought his sharp claws up to the bathroom wall, and began drawing a rough circle, although making it resemble a basic cartoon fireball. He then did his best to scratch lines and two squares into the wall. All of this would represent the werewolf in the cage, which would hopefully make him remember how to supress the werewolf.

However, as he drew this, Lukas felt a faint feeling of exhaustion. At first, he was confused, before he realised that his energy must be draining from caging the werewolf.

_I reckon I can only use my MES when I've made that silver cage, and that saps my energy fast, so I can't use my MES at all times. Not to mention that if I'm fighting, that'll also drain my energy. I have to find some sort of spell tomorrow that'll expand my energy reserves, of a simple spell to recover energy._

Lukas placed the hairpin on the toilet seat, before stepping back and making the cage vanish. He instantly felt the constant drain on his energy slow down a bit. He knew that he had to stay in control; he just hoped he would have the energy to. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mathias had been doing fairly well. He used a similar technique to Lukas for supressing the werewolf enough for the MES to fully recognise the presence of the person it was connected to, thus allowing the Dane to wield his axe. Lukas used a cage, but Mathias preferred to use his emotions to fuel a great sphere of fire which trapped the werewolf. He used his strongest emotions (fear, anger, joy, hate, love, etc) to fuel this fire. Lukas' cage sapped his magical energy, which was directly connected to his energy. However, Mathias's fiery sphere used his emotions, which after an outburst of emotion, would leave a person tired, it didn't put as big a strain on his energy as Lukas' did.

Tino and Emil – so far – hadn't encountered Fenris, although they both got the eerie feeling that they were being watched.

Suddenly, there was a rustle of bushes, and the creature they hoped wouldn't show leapt out. Growling, it narrowed its eyes at Mathias, instantly realising that the axe was made of silver.

Tino charged forward, raising his weapon and bringing it down towards the werewolf, who nimbly side-stepped and then jumped backwards.

 **"** **Well well, someone's feisty tonight."** It said, flicking its tail back and forth.

Mathias growled loudly in his throat, stepping forward to attack. The emotion known as hate was strong with Fenris, and now it had appeared, the fire burned stronger, keeping the werewolf even further at bay and giving Mathias more control.

Fenris raised its clawed paws up in an 'I mean no harm' kind of way. **"Relax, I'm not looking to attack you tonight. No, I'm going to save my strength for tomorrow night. Then, we will have our final battle. These little** ** _fights_** **of ours entertain me greatly; please, bring as many people as you want. Just make sure you,"** it pointed at Mathias, **"and Norway are there."**

Emil wanted to tell it that 'Norway' was just his status, and that it should call him 'Lukas', but he bit his tongue, knowing that Fenris did not deserve to call the Norwegian by his human name.

A low growl rose in Fenris as it glared at the axe clutched tightly in Mathias' furry hand. **"I see you have brought silver into this. An MES, I take it. Well, this make it all the more** ** _entertaining_** **tomorrow night."** It began walking backwards. **"I will see you tomorrow night. Here. Or at the edge of the forest. I don't mind; I'll find you either way.** ** _Don't_** **forget."** With that, the werewolf turned and disappeared into the bushes.

The three were silent before Tino spoke up. "So Fenris challenges us tomorrow night?"

Mathias nodded. **"Appears so."** His eyes flew wide, as did the other two's.

"You can talk?!" Emil exclaimed, shocked.

The Dane frowned, before opening his mouth and speaking random words, as if to test his voice out.

Tino grinned. "Great! There's no escape from your chatter, even if you're a werewolf!"

Mathias's lips curled upwards into a strange form of smile. **"Oh well. You learn something new every day!"**

"I wonder if Lukas can also speak…" Emil wondered aloud.

Tino shrugged. "Maybe. It'll be good if he could." Then a thought struck him. "Hang on, how come you never knew you could talk before?"

 **"** **Because I never had reason to speak as a werewolf-"** A growl rose in his throat, stopping him from talking. His eye twitched, and then he shook his head, as if to clear his head of something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'll end the chapter here. After all, I'm over 3K words.
> 
> If you've noticed, I've used 'he' instead of 'it' when talking about Lukas and Mathias in werewolf form. This is because they have stronger control. Lukas because his magic helps him tame the werewolf within him, and Mathias because he has a practical purpose (trying to wield his MES) to focus on, meaning he has better control.
> 
> And yes, the final battle is coming soon! See you for now!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mathias suddenly goes berserk, attacking Tino and Emil, whilst Lukas gets a bad feeling and demands to be let out.
> 
> However, once the ordeal is over, something rather unexpected happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Now, I thought to myself: should I fast-forward this night? Or make it play out a little longer? I decided on the latter. Hope you don't mind.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Tino frowned as Mathias shook his head furiously, as if clearing his head of a dark thought.

He began to slowly approach the Dane, but immediately stopped in his tracks when he heard a loud, guttural growl emerge from Mathias' throat.

When the werewolf's head snapped in the direction where Tino was, he saw a feral look in his eyes. _Just like when he strangled Lukas and attacked me in the kitchen,_ the Finn thought with unease. _But this time, it seems…different._

Tino spared a quick glance at Emil, who was frowning and walking towards Mathias. The Finn's eyes widened with dread as he realised that Emil hadn't seen that look in Mathias' eyes close-up.

Keeping one eye on the werewolf, who was very slowly approaching him, and the other eye on Emil, Tino yelled at Emil, "Don't go any further! Stay back, Emi-" He was cut off as Mathias suddenly charged at him, jaws open and ready to bite him.

Tino cursed under his breath and hoped that Emil had done as he said, as he focused all of his attention on Mathias.

Leaping to the side, he narrowly avoided Mathias' jaws. However, he didn't have a moment's rest as the werewolf swiftly recovered and swiped at him with a front paw, claws outstretched.

Tino bent backwards, and although he missed the claws, he could feel them go past, and even noticed a few strands of his hair fall to the floor.

Bending the other way so that he was upright once more, the Finn brought his bladed staff down on the werewolf, aiming for the back of his neck.

However, Mathias leaped into the sky, twisting his body in the air to move slightly, before dropping down on the space where Tino stood, claws reaching for the smaller man.

As Tino stared at him with horror, he didn't notice Emil come running at him, before jumping and wrapping his arms around Tino's waist, sending them both flying out of reach of Mathias' claws as he landed on the spot where the Finn had been only seconds ago.

"Thanks." Tino said breathlessly, as he'd had the breath knocked out of him by the fall.

"Don't mention it. But this is not time to talk." The Icelander glanced over at Mathias, who was snarling at them as he realised that his prey had evaded him. "What's wrong with him?"

Tino sighed. "Ever heard of the saying 'the hurricane before the rainbow'? Well, that applies here, but in reverse." He narrowed his eyes as Mathias started running on all fours towards them, eyes glinting in the moonlight.

Both nations quickly dodged out of the way – Tino going left, Emil going right - , but Mathias quickly turned on his back right heel, spinning his body round and without losing any momentum, chased after Emil.

"So fast!" Emil breathed as he turned to his left and began running. Mathias also changed direction, and began closing the gap between them.

"Emil! Watch out!" Tino shouted as Mathias suddenly pounced on the Icelander. Unable to dodge in time while running, Emil could only brace for the impact as two paws thudded into his back and threw him to the ground.

Tino dashed towards Emil, but was caught by one of Mathias' front paws. Unfortunately, the claws were wrapped around Tino's throat, soon cutting off his air supply.

The werewolf pinned Emil down with his other front paw on his chest, and his back left foot had effectively trapped Emil by standing on the side of his coat that had splayed out when he fell.

The Dane licked his lips hungrily as his face leant closer to Emil's. Tino grabbed the paw that was choking him with both of his hands, weapon lying on the floor, but his strength was rapidly fading. His lungs started burning from the lack of oxygen; he needed air. He needed to save Emil, save himself, and save Mathias. He couldn't do it without air.

"Dam...mit…" He gasped out, helpless. _You can't expect a human to go toe-to-toe with a werewolf and win. I'm helpless here. Before, I could help Lukas get free from Mathias, but now he's a werewolf, and now I'm on the receiving end of the chokehold, there's not much I can do._

"Mathias! Get a hold of yourself! This isn't you!" Emil cried out desperately. Their faces were inches away, and Emil could smell Mathias' breath. He would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. In actual fact, he was _terrified._ No-one could save him, as Berwald and Lukas had no idea what was going on, and none of the other nations knew about this whole problem. There was no way in hell that Fenris would help him, seeing as they were enemies, so the only hope left was for Tino to break free, himself to break free, or Mathias to snap out of it. But none of them seemed very likely at the minute.

He wriggled and squirmed, trying to escape, but the paw on his chest was heavy, and his coat was pinned down. There was no way he could get out of his coat like this, nor could he actually _go_ anywhere, even if he did.

There was no escape.

He was going to die here.

* * *

Lukas looked up, a frown on the human side of his face as he felt something. Something was _wrong_. He needed to help. But how? Sure, he was in control, but he was exhausted. But this bad feeling was only going to get worse if he sat around doing nothing.

Leaving his pin behind, Lukas stood up and started unsteadily walking towards the door, before banging on it.

It made Berwald jump, and he immediately stood up, eyes narrowing. Putting his ear to the door, the Swede called, "Lukas? That you?" If he was answered by an animalistic noise and more banging, then Berwald would know that it was the werewolf in control.

" **Co-ming…ou-t…"** Lukas tried to speak, and was relieved when he found his voice strong enough to form coherent words. However, it was broken and cracked while he spoke.

However, Berwald didn't get the message properly, and frowned, confused. "What was that?" All he heard was a 'c' noise, as if something was choking, and an 'ow' noise, as if something had stood barefooted on a Lego brick. (By the way, this basically means he heard the 'c' of 'coming' and the 'ou' of 'out'.)

" **Out!"** The Norwegian barked impatiently. He could unlock the door from the inside, but he didn't want Berwald to think he was escaping and start fighting him.

"'Out'?" Berwald echoed uncertainly.

Lukas nodded, but then realised that Berwald couldn't see through walls, so wouldn't have seen the nod. **"Ye-ah."** His voice cracked half-way through the word, and he growled in annoyance.

His patience wearing thin, Lukas hoped that Berwald understood, before reaching for the lock with his human hand, and unlocking it. Without waiting for a response from Berwald for the door opening, Lukas ran as fast as he could down the hallway, closely followed by Berwald – or rather, closely _chased_ by Berwald.

* * *

Emil closed his eyes, too scared to watch as Mathias' jaws loomed closer. He could hear Tino's frantic struggles, and he could hear his heart pounding against his chest. A drop of saliva fell onto his cheek, and he fought the urge to gag.

Tino sank his nails into Mathias' furry arm, trying to break free. His vision was darkening at the edges, and his head was filling with pressure. He was about to pass out if he didn't get some air in his lungs right now.

Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps filled his ears, and he moved his gaze weakly to see Berwald and Lukas running towards them. If he could have, Tino would have breathed a sigh of relief.

Berwald immediately swung his weapon – a staff as tall as him (although it lacked the blade which Tino's had) – at Mathias' arm that was strangling the Finn.

Growling in annoyance at the disturbance, Mathias threw Tino at Berwald, knocking him off his feet and sending them both sprawling on the floor.

Lukas stared at the sight of his little brother about to have his head bitten off by Mathias. Beyond furious, he charged forward and leapt at the taller werewolf, knocking him off of Emil.

Quickly recovering, Mathias aimed a swinging blow at Lukas' head, which he blocked by crossing both of his arms in an 'x' shape next to his head, which caught the fist in the centre. Lukas held his ground, but was pushed back a couple of feet by the sheer strength behind the attack.

Mathias then brought his other paw up, barely touching Lukas' stomach and chest, before it grasped the Norwegian's throat. He closed his clawed paw around Lukas' throat.

Emil struggled to his feet, before staggering towards Mathias, still recovering from almost being killed.

Berwald sprang up from the ground, a look of concern flashing across his face as Tino coughed and spluttered, hands rubbing his throat as he gasped for air while coughing.

Tino finally stopped coughing, and sat back. Then he glanced at Berwald. "Why are you here? I thought you and Lukas were inside."

"Lukas wanted to come out, and when he did, he ran out the house. I sort of sensed something wrong, but I just thought I was paranoid." The Swede gazed at the sight of Mathias choking Lukas, while Emil was weakly punching the former. "I guess Lukas also felt something wrong. I'm glad we came, though."

Tino nodded, before he caught sight of the other three. Eyes wide, he stood up, only for his legs to buckle as his strength had still not fully recovered. "We have to help!"

"I'll go. When you've got your strength back, you can come. Stay here." Berwald ordered, getting to his feet. Without waiting for a response, he ran towards Mathias, staff raised to hit the werewolf on the head.

Mathias was too slow to react, and was temporarily stunned. Staggering slightly, his grip on Lukas' throat loosened, and the Norwegian managed to wriggle out of his grip.

"Lukas! Are you okay?" Emil asked, crouching down beside the man in question.

 **"** **Y-yeah."** He replied shakily, coughing lightly.

Berwald pushed his staff forward horizontally, aiming for Mathias' chest to force him back, but he underestimated the werewolf. Grabbing the staff with one paw, Mathias brought his gaze up to lock eyes with Berwald's, a crazed glint shining in them. He then secured his grip on the staff with his other paw, and began pushing it back towards Berwald, also causing the Swede to inch backwards.

Luckily, Tino sprinted towards the pair, using the blade on the end of his staff to create a gash along Mathias' left arm. Hissing in pain, the force behind the staff abruptly disappeared, almost making Berwald fall over, before correcting himself.

All four nations surrounded Mathias, who clutched his bleeding arm.

He glared at Tino, who was right in front of him, before recognition flickered in his eyes. The wild look in his eyes died down as he realised who was stood in front of him.

 **"** **Ti…no…?"** He asked uncertainly.

Tino sighed with relief. "Yes, it's me, Mathias. Glad you're back in control."

"What _was_ that anyway?" Emil asked, who was positioned behind Mathias.

 **"** **I use my strongest emotions to suppress the werewolf. When I saw Fenris, I guess my hatred and anger got the better of me."** Mathias explained almost sheepishly.

"I don't really understand what that means, but I'll leave it." Berwald murmured.

"So, you know how it takes all you've got to stop yourself from killing us usually?" Tino began.

 **"** **You could've worded that a bit better, but yeah."** Mathias muttered.

"And you just said that your hate and anger got the better of you?"

Mathias frowned. **"What are you getting at?"**

"Well, maybe you feel fear or something, and that gets the better of you. If this is the case, then it would apply to the previous nights as well."

"You mean like, he's scared of hurting or killing us, so that causes him to lose control or something?" Emil spoke up.

"Yeah, something like that." Tino nodded.

 **"** **Well, it's not impossible."** Mathias hummed thoughtfully. **"But for now, I'm in control, as is Lukas, so what should we do until the moon sets?"**

"I suggest you two keep training with your MESes. While you can." Berwald replied.

 **"** **Tha-t's not a ba-d idea."** Lukas agreed, hating how his voice still cracked.

"Okay, then it's decided. You two train, and we'll keep watch." Tino decided, to which everyone agreed.

* * *

For the rest of the night, the werewolf and the half-werewolf trained (Mathias being careful with his recently-stopped-bleeding arm), while the Swede, the Finn and the Icelander kept watch. And nothing more happened until dawn came, and the moon set.

Once Mathias and Lukas had transformed, Tino froze. Emil sniggered under his breath, and Berwald blinked with a blank expression on his face.

"Y-you-" Tino started, but cut himself off, unable to believe something.

Mathias frowned at him. "What?"

"Y-you've g-got-"

Lukas raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"

Tino blurted something out, causing Emil to nearly fall to the floor laughing, and even Berwald started chuckling.

"You've got tails!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lukas tries to adjust to having a tail - among other things - for a day, while Mathias seems fine with it. 
> 
> When Lukas goes into the bathroom, he remembers the important things from the previous night.
> 
> Meanwhile, the enemy is looking forward to the next night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

There was a short silence, before Lukas yelled, " _Huh_?!" He started frantically trying to see for himself if he had a tail. Sure enough, he did. It left a hole in his clothes, and was missing patches of fur in places, as if it wasn't fully developed.

Meanwhile, Mathias started laughing, much to Lukas' anger.

"What are _you_ laughing about? I bet you have a tail too, you know." Lukas snapped.

Mathias grinned sheepishly. "I…may have forgotten to tell you about this."

"Well, please explain. Go on; tell us all _why_ I have a tail sprouting out of my backside." Lukas narrowed his eyes and folded his arms, which only made the others laugh harder, as the Norwegian looked quite ridiculous with a tail swishing from side to side.

"Uh…don't worry! It's only for today." Mathias then pointed at the space just above Lukas' head, causing the man in question to frown darkly.

Cautiously, Lukas raised his hands to his hand, and was about to place them flat on his head when he felt something sticking out of his hair. Eyes widening slightly, he curled his fingers around the mysterious objects on top of his head. His hearing dulled slightly as he tightened his grip, and immediately realised what it was.

Just to make sure, Lukas rubbed his fingers up and down, noting the soft, _furry_ surface, and how it strangely made him feel happy. Not to mention the fact that it sent his tail wagging slightly, against his will.

Taking a sharp breath, Lukas glared at Mathias, and said simply, "Ears."

Mathias chuckled nervously at the dangerous tone in the Norwegian's voice. "Yeah…they're ears – but look, I have them too!" To prove his point, the Dane pointed at the top of his head where, sure enough, two black, furry ears poked out of his head, a stark contrast to his blonde hair.

But Lukas didn't care about that. "Mathias, what else?"

The man in question frowned. "What do you-"

"What. Else. Is. There." It wasn't a question; it was a demand. A demand for an answer.

"Uh…for starters, you have claws, and the ears, and the tail – oh! And you're a bit taller. Well, I am anyway."

"Right…anything else?"

"Well, we've both got fangs-"

"What?!"

Mathias was surprised by the alarmed response. "Yeah, we've got fangs." To back this up, he flashed Lukas a toothy grin, revealing long, sharp canines. Unnaturally long.

Lukas groaned loudly and slammed his head into his two hands, cursing when his forehead was scratched slightly by his claws.

"What's the matter?"

"Think about it; I can't drink my coffee at all!"

"Er…what?"

"When I go to drink it, I'll scratch the mug with these stupid claws, and these stupid fangs will bite down and ruin the mug!"

Mathias raised an eyebrow. "Can't you live without your coffee, just for today?"

Lukas glared at him threateningly. "With all this going down, I need coffee more than ever."

The Dane hummed thoughtfully, before clicking his fingers. "I know!"

"What? A solution?"

"Yeah! Just use a straw!"

"And what if I _bite_ it and _break_ it? And why would we have straws round the house anyway?"

Mathias shrugged. "I don't know. I was only suggesting; calm down."

Not bothering to reply, Lukas stormed off, his tail irritatingly twitching from side to side.

"Hey! Wait!" Mathias yelled.

"I'm going to go make a couple of calls; be _quiet_." Lukas shouted back, before heading up the stairs and out of sight.

* * *

Once in his room, Lukas went over to the bedside table, where he had a phone. Picking it up, he went to sit down on his bed, but soon felt uncomfortable as the base of his tail got in the way. _Dammit…guess I'll stand up then._

Rising to his feet, the Norwegian dialled a number and held the phone to his ear, waiting for the person at the other end to pick up.

 _"_ _Hello?"_ A voice came through, and Lukas sighed with relief.

"It's me, Lukas. I need a favour."

_"_ _A favour? Sounds interesting."_

Lukas then proceeded to explain briefly everything that had gone off in the past week to the person on the other end.

They listened silently, before remarking, _"Well, that sounds like a pain to deal with. So, what's this favour you want?"_

"Basically, tonight's going to be very…eventful. And life never goes the way you want it."

_"_ _Can't argue with that."_

Lukas managed a small smile. "Yeah. Do you still know how to nation-hop?"

_"'_ _Course. Why?"_

"Good. Because if everything starts to go downhill, then I'll need you to come over as soon as possible."

_"_ _So you need me to save the day? How nice of you."_

"Sure; if that's the way you want to put it. Hopefully, I'll be able to send a quick telepathic message to you, probably saying something like 'come quickly' or whatever. Then that's the signal for you to…well, come quickly, I guess."

The line was quiet, before the other person replied, _"Sure. Sounds fun."_

"I wouldn't call it 'fun'."

_"_ _I would."_

"So you'll have to pull an all-nighter tonight, okay? Can you do that?"

_"_ _Well, normally I'd want to enter hibernation, but sure, I can pull an all-nighter."_

Lukas sighed with relief again. "Thanks. It means a lot."

_"_ _You're welcome."_

"Oh, and one more thing."

_"_ _Yeah?"_

"Try and refresh your mind with spells and stuff that we'll probably need if you have to come. Although I'm hoping everything goes to plan. After all, we have the advantage."

_"_ _Alright. But that means that you have to as well, okay? It's only fair, after all."_

"Mhm. I was planning to, anyway."

_"_ _Okay. I may see you tonight then, Lukas."_

"And I may see _you_ tonight, as well. Also, I'm going to ring Arthur and tell him the same thing."

_"_ _Ah, him? C'mon, aren't I good enough?"_

"Well, better to be safe than sorry."

_"_ _Meh. It's up to you, really."_

"Yeah. Well, bye, Vladimir."

_"_ _See you."_

Lukas hung up, and chuckled under his breath. Vladimir didn't live too far away, so it wouldn't take him too long to get there. Hopefully.

The Norwegian then proceeded to ring Arthur, and had the same conversation with him, too.

After he put the phone down, Lukas decided that he better tell the others about Vladimir and Arthur possibly coming.

* * *

Mathias was stretched out on the couch, laid at an angle that avoided any discomfort with his tail. Tino and Berwald where on a two-seater couch, while Emil sat in an armchair.

"Hey, I was wondering." The Icelander suddenly spoke up.

"What?" Tino asked.

"Where's Mr Puffin?"

The room was silent, before Berwald said, "I haven't seen him in a while, actually."

"Well, he was here last week. And after the first night, he just…disappeared. I never noticed before, what with all this stuff going on, but it's starting to bother me now." Emil explained.

"You know in those movies," Mathias began, "when there's some sort of explosion or loud noise in a forest or jungle, and the birds fly away?"

"What are you getting at?" Emil frowned.

"Well, what if Mr Puffin sensed the danger I brought this week, and flew away? Temporarily, I mean."

"Hmm…possibly."

"Don't worry; I'm sure he'll come back after tonight." Mathias reassured with a smile. Emil nodded silently.

The sound of someone plodding down stairs caught everyone's attention, and they all watched as Lukas walked downstairs, trying his hardest to hide his tail behind him.

"Did you make your phone calls?" Tino asked.

Lukas nodded and stopped in front of Mathias. He stared down his nose at the Dane, silently telling him to shift over. Mathias complied, and Lukas sat down.

"Okay, so I just wanted to say that if something…bad happens tonight, then Vladimir and Arthur will come over."

Mathias groaned. "Arthur? But he's no fun." Then his face lit up slightly. "But Vladimir's fun."

"But how can they get here in time? They're no doubt in their own countries." Berwald pointed out.

"Yes well, they're going to nation-hop over."

Tino's head tilted to the side in confusion. "Nation…hop?"

"Of course you wouldn't know." Lukas mumbled to himself. Then he cleared his throat. "Do I have to explain?"

Everyone nodded, and Lukas sighed. "Fine. Nation-hopping is an extremely rare ability; in fact, only Vladimir, Arthur and I have it, but that's probably related to our close connections with magic. After all, nation-hopping is essentially long-range teleportation."

The Norwegian refused to meet anyone's eye while he was explaining, as he'd suddenly grown self-conscious. "However, there's a catch. A nation can only travel 100 miles at a time, and they must have a 1 minute break in between nation-hops, to avoid over-exhaustion. After all, nation-hopping does use some of our magical energy, so if we do it again and again without stopping, we'll collapse from exhaustion. It takes ten seconds to nation-hop to go 100 miles."

Lukas' eyebrows furrowed in thought for a moment, before he continued, "We calculated the distances a couple of years ago. We also included Copenhagen in this, as well as Paris and Sofia. But mainly, we worked out Oslo, London and Bucharest. Since Copenhagen is the nearest capital city from here, we'll use the calculations from it."

Glancing up to make sure everyone was still following, he said, "From London to Copenhagen is just under 600 miles. Travel time is approximately 7 minutes, plus the extra time to get to this exact location. From Bucharest to Copenhagen is just under 1000 miles. Travel time is around 11 minutes and 40 seconds, plus the extra time to get exactly here."

Mathias smirked. "You sound like you just read that off the internet."

"Shut it."

"Rude."

" _Anyway_ ," Lukas rolled his eyes, "there's around 4 minutes and 40 seconds between them, so Arthur will get here first. Hopefully, they won't come though, which means that we're winning against Fenris."

Emil frowned. "Can you teach me to nation-hop?"

Lukas turned to him. "Why?"

"So I can escape Mathias' bone-crushing hugs."

Lukas snorted. "I wish I could, but like I said, it's extremely rare."

"But I'm related to you, so surely I can do it if you can."

The Norwegian's face darkened mischievously. "So you're admitting that I'm your big brother?"

"Shut it."

Lukas smirked. "Rude."

"Hey! That's my line!" Mathias whined.

"Honestly, you're so…child…ish…" Lukas trailed off, frowning.

"What?" Berwald asked, tensing slightly.

"I just… _really_ want some meat right now…" He murmured, a hungry look appearing on his face.

"Then go get some meat to satisfy yourself. But don't do it around me." Mathias warned.

"Why not?" Tino asked curiously.

"Because it might trigger me, and then I'll turn into that out-of-control raging beast like before."

"Oh." Tino stood, and helped Lukas to his feet, noticing how Lukas kept sniffing the air and looking round. His ears kept twitching, as well.

The Finn guided Lukas into the kitchen, and searched for a raw steak. Since they didn't have the time to cook it, he had to eat it raw, but it was better than nothing.

As soon as the meat was in range of Lukas, he grabbed it out of Tino's hands, scratching the latter in the process, and began ravenously digging into the steak.

An involuntary shudder raced down Tino's spine as the image of Lukas eating like that reminded him of the time that he'd walked in on Mathias like that; but a lot worse.

The steak was gone before long, and Lukas snapped his head up to look at Tino. The Finn prepared to fight if necessary, but luckily, Lukas' eyes soon showed recognition.

Glancing down at the blood dribbling from his chin, Lukas' face scrunched up with disgust and he furiously wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"S-sorry. I don't know what came over me." Lukas mumbled.

"It's what Mathias explained to you; about the whole suddenly craving meat."

Lukas looked horrified as he stared at the drops of blood on the floor that had leaked out of the steak. He clamped a hand over his mouth as he felt sick. "Oh my God."

"What's the matter?" Tino edged closer to him.

"I-I never want to go through that again." He shook his head.

The Finn placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry; after tonight, hopefully you won't have to."

Lukas nodded and headed for the door, his hand leaving his mouth. "I'm going to go memorise some spells that we'll probably need against Fenris."

"Okay. Oh, and Lukas?"

He turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"While you were on the phone, I went upstairs and found some sort of…message on the wall. I think you wrote it."

Lukas frowned. _Why would I write a message? Wait – could it be? No, I need to check for myself first._

"Okay." He replied simply, before leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs, to the bathroom.

* * *

Berwald glanced over as he watched Lukas exit the kitchen, soon followed by Tino. However, while Lukas went upstairs, Tino came over to him and sat down in the same spot as before.

"Where's Lukas going?" Berwald asked.

"To the bathroom, and then to memorise some spells or something. We better not disturb him if he's going to be practicing them." Tino replied, earning a nod from Berwald.

"Hey, Mathias." Emil spoke up, catching Berwald's attention and causing him to look at the Icelander.

"Yeah?"

"I've only just noticed, but…you have no human ears."

Surprised, Berwald stared at the Dane, and sure enough, where his human ears should be, there was nothing there. _We must've not noticed it with Lukas because his hair covered his ears, but with Mathias it's obvious. How could I not have noticed it before?_

"I know, but I can't really do anything about it." Mathias shrugged.

"It's creepy." Berwald remarked, earning a raised eyebrow from the Dane.

"Excuse me?"

"I said it's creepy."

"Well, I can't do anything about it."

"It gives me shivers."

"Shut it."

Berwald smirked. "Rude."

Mathias's arms flew wide. " _Seriously_?! Why is everyone stealing my line today?!"

* * *

Lukas walked into the bathroom, seeing something on the wall. It looked like a circle with loads of lines around it. But what was it?

Suddenly, an image of a soul-looking object appeared in his mind's eye. Soon after, strange bars began surrounding it, with two platforms to form some sort of cage. _What is that? A cage? It looks like it's made of iron – no, silver. Wait; I remember now! This is the method to seal the werewolf! Thank God I remembered_ that _. I_ really _didn't want to try and work it out all over again._

Sighing with relief, Lukas left the bathroom, heading towards his room, where he kept a couple of spellbooks. _I'm probably going to spend the rest of the day in here – unless I go outside and practice some of these spells._

* * *

Somewhere, deep in the forest, a large figure sat in a cave, shrouded in darkness.

A low, throaty chuckle echoed throughout the cave as the figure's eyes glinted.

 **"** **I'm looking forward to tonight. I wonder if you are, Lukas…my creator."** Fenris rumbled aloud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm terrible at being mysterious, aren't I?
> 
> Also, with the nation-hopping thing, I like the idea of Romania and England getting involved with the final battle, but how would they get there? So that's why only the Magic Trio can nation-hop. But, I couldn't make it so everyone could nation-hop, as this would raise question like 'when Mathias was a werewolf, why couldn't the others just nation-hop away?' or something like that.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter~


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle is here, and it's very action-packed. Both sides give their all, and they're fairly evenly matched, despite the fact that one side is greatly outnumbered.
> 
> Who will win?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter is entirely the final battle. You might want to get comfortable, 'cause this chapter is very long.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

The day sped by, but whether that was a good thing or not was what puzzled the nations.

But there was no time to ponder about that then, as the sun would soon be setting – and the moon would soon be setting.

Lukas had never really gotten used to the tail in the time he had it (and hoped he never had it again). Hopefully, he didn't have to. Hopefully, he didn't have to transform again after that night. Hopefully, this would all be put behind them, and they could forget about it.

But at the end of the day, that's just hoping.

However, at last, it was time. The five nations who lived at the Nordic House exited the house, and began the short journey to the woods, where they would fight the root of all of this. Where they would fight Fenris – probably to the death.

As they headed out, Lukas glanced at his comrades. Mathias had his silver axe sat over his shoulder casually, and Tino had his bladed staff by his side, held horizontally in his left hand. Berwald had a slightly longer staff than Tino's – although not bladed -, which he held vertically in front of him. And lastly, Emil. Emil hadn't participated in any battles with a weapon so far, but he chose to wield a long iron sword, with a glistening hilt and no scabbard. He wasn't planning on sheathing his weapon tonight. None of them were.

The only weapon Lukas had was his silver hairpin. At first glance, it didn't seem like much, but if one were to know what damage it could do to their opponent, they'd have second thoughts.

 _This is it,_ Lukas thought as he gazed at the trees approaching him. _I just…can't believe this is real. This is_ actually _happening. Huh._

The five slowed to a halt as the very edge of the trees was mere metres away. As they stopped, Mathias turned to face them all.

"Okay, so we're going to change very soon." He began. "And tonight may very well get ugly. But just stick to the plan that we discussed, and it'll all work out. Hopefully. Just…try your best and don't…don't die, you hear? The only one dying here tonight is Fenris, got it?"

"Yeah. A werewolf won't bring me down, don't worry." Tino reassured with a grin.

The Dane nodded. "Good. Now-" He was cut off as a familiar pain raced through his body. But it was different than before. It was more violent. More vicious. _This is going to be a hard battle,_ Mathias thought as he dropped to his knees.

Lukas too fell to the ground, biting his lip to stop any pained noises from escaping. It was then that the clearing before the trees was bathed in moonlight, as a giant full moon rose into view. There weren't any stars out, however. It was as if the tiny balls of light had hidden themselves from what was going to happen that night. As if they predicted something bad was going to happen.

It was over in less than five minutes. In place of Mathias stood a strong, towering werewolf. In place of Lukas stood a smaller, yet still strong half-breed.

 **"** **Ah, so you came?"** A sudden voice made everyone jump slightly, and they turned to face the trees as the familiar form of Fenris slowly padded out of them, eyes seeming to lock with everyone's at the same time.

"Of course we came. We've come to kick your ass!" Tino yelled, determination blazing in his eyes.

But Fenris merely raised a furry eyebrow. **"That so? Well, this makes things all the more…** ** _interesting_** **. I'd love to see how many die tonight."**

"Don't worry; only one will die tonight." Emil replied confidently.

**"** **Oh? And who might that be?"**

The Iceland smirked. "Why you, of course."

Fenris chuckled. **"I rather like your spirit."** It flexed its claws. **"Too bad I have to kill you, though."**

"You can try, but you won't succeed." Berwald spoke up.

 **"** **Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to fight?"** Mathias growled, eyes narrowed with hatred at the cause of the problem.

 **"** **Feisty, aren't we?"** Fenris sneered. **"But very well. Let us fight. To the death."**

 **"** **Th-e dea-th, eh?"** Lukas took a step closer, although his voice wavered slightly as he tried to form understandable words. **"Yo-ur loss."**

 **"** **We'll see about that."** Fenris began to circle the group as it spoke. **"Did you know? Some animals, when they hunt, they select the weakest in the herd that they're targeting."** It paused for a moment. **"It's because the weak one, whether it be young, old or ill, cannot get away in time, you see. But you five aren't what I would call young, but I wouldn't call you old, either. I don't think any of you are ill, which means that** ** _technically_** **, none of you are 'weak'."** A toothy grin grew on its face as it approached one of them subtly. **"But that just means I'll have to evaluate who's the weakest in your little group."** It stood still for a fraction of a second, before it began charging at its target. **"And the weakest one is** ** _you_** **!"**

Emil barely had any time to react as Fenris rapidly closed the distance between them. In fact, it was less than a metre away in _seconds_.

Opening its jaws, Fenris prepared to sink its teeth into Emil's neck, but the Icelander dodged in the nick of time, by turning his body to the side and jumping backwards. However, Fenris' claws had caught Emil's arm, and he soon felt a stinging sensation as its claws raked his skin.

Hissing slightly, Emil clutched his arm as blood began to bead at the surface of the scratches. Luckily, they were only shallow, but were still deep enough to draw blood.

In an instant, Tino leapt forward, wielding his weapon as if it were an extension of his arm, and slashed Fenris' shoulder with the bladed end. Snarling, the werewolf backed off, applying pressure to its fresh wound as it took a few steps back. However, Tino wasn't going to allow it any time to recover.

Lunging forward, the Finn aimed to impale Fenris through the stomach, but it seemed to predict this, and side-stepped the attack, before sinking its teeth into Tino's upper arm – the one which was outstretched, that also held the weapon.

Dropping his staff in surprise and pain, Tino tried to shake off Fenris' teeth, but they hung on like grappling hooks.

Berwald immediately sprang into action, and aimed a solid kick at the werewolf's head. Noticing the oncoming leg, Fenris leant away, before snapping his head towards the Swede, and letting go of Tino's arm in the process. The Finn was sent flying into Berwald, who was knocked off balance as he only had his weight on one leg.

Emil then went in on the offensive, and gripped his sword tighter with both hands. Rising it slightly and to his left shoulder, he prepared to strike Fenris as he ran. With a quick movement, Emil brought his weapon diagonally across and in front of him, aiming a good blow on the unsuspecting werewolf's back. However, Fenris had sensed his approach, and swiftly ducked, shooting one of its hind legs out, catching Emil in his newly healed leg and causing it to buckle. With a surprised cry, Emil let go of his weapon, instead pushing his hands in front of him to try and catch his fall.

With a faint _oof_ , Emil landed on the ground, and reached out to grip his leg. Fenris towered over him, and raised a foreleg to strike him – but it never got that far.

Lukas sprang on him from behind, sinking his claws into Fenris' right shoulder, causing it to whine in pain, before curling its back up, taking Lukas with it. Temporarily losing balance, Lukas was sent flying off Fenris' back and next to Emil on the ground.

Groaning, he put his hand underneath him, and propped himself up. His eyes widened as he saw the furry back of Mathias, protecting them from harm as he faced off with Fenris.

Smirking, it began circling Mathias, and the Dane did the same thing. They locked eyes as they circled each other, silently daring the other to make the first move, before Mathias ran at it, axe lying forgotten on the ground as the two creatures of the night clashed with brute strength.

As Mathias sprinted, Fenris started charging towards him on all fours, before flattening its body against the ground. The Dane slowed down, but couldn't completely stop in time, as Fenris, still running, shot his body up, crashing head-first into Mathias, and sending them both to the floor.

Snarling in fury, Mathias snapped at Fenris, successfully sinking his teeth into the latter's left forearm. In retaliation, it bit Mathias' tail, earning a pained whine from the Dane. Mathias clawed Fenris' stomach, while it raked its claws across Mathias' hind legs.

They rolled over each other, scuffling on the floor in a flurry of clashing teeth and claws. Snarls and growls filled the clearing, along with the sound of claws and fangs tearing through flesh, quickly followed by whines or yelps.

Finally, Mathias overpowered Fenris, and kicked it in the stomach with both of his hind legs, effectively sending Fenris a good few yards away.

Growling, it rose again, and flashed its teeth at Mathias. **"It seems I underestimated you a little bit. My bad, my bad. But I think I should…even the playing field a little bit."**

It locked eyes with the Dane, and repeated a spell used the first time they had encountered it. **"** ** _Killius Thious, Denmark."_**

Mathias' eyes blazed a blood red colour, and he slowly turned his head to stare at the others, before walking forward.

"Dammit, not this again." Berwald muttered under his breath. "Great. Now we've got _two_ crazy werewolves trying to kill us. Ideas?"

"We'll just have to attack them both, but coordinate our attack perfectly, so as to leave no openings." Tino replied, glaring at Fenris, who was smirking as if it'd won.

 **"** **Shou-ld I ca-ll the other-s?"** Lukas asked.

"It would probably be better than leaving it too late. You know, just in case." Emil glanced briefly at the Norwegian, before taking a step forward, sword retrieved from the ground.

"Yeah…maybe." Berwald seemed unconvinced. "But I'm sure we can handle this, right?"

They had no more time to talk as Mathias leapt at them, one paw balled up in a fist. Berwald went on the defensive, taking the brunt of the impact with his staff held horizontally, although he skidded backwards a bit.

Tino dashed forward, muttering an apology under his breath as he raked Mathias' side with his weapon.

Hissing, Mathias abandoned the attack on Berwald, instead concentrating on the Finn. As Tino was about to strike again, Fenris stepped in and brought its paw round in a slapping motion, which sent Tino colliding against a nearby tree.

 **"** **Good boy, keep going now. Don't stop killing them, okay?"** Fenris grinned as Mathias charged at Berwald in response, aiming a blow at the Swede's head, which was evaded and counterattacked with his staff.

Lukas narrowed his eyes as he desperately thought back to the hours he'd spent studying spells that day. _I'm sure there's one that at least dulls a magic spell! But what is it? …That's it! I know another spell that should work!_

Taking a deep breath, he hoped that his voice would be strong and clear while casting the spell, so as not to mess up the spell. **_"Relesius maigickiom!"_** He yelled, and a blinding light appeared around Mathias. The red faded from his eyes, and was replaced with his normal blue. Confused, he staggered slightly, before glancing over at Lukas, who was panting from the spell. It was a very powerful, but also very energy-sapping spell, as it had to overpower the other spell, as well as neutralise it.

 _Damn,_ he thought, _I'm losing my grip on control. But if Fenris casts that spell again…I need help._ He concluded, and closed his eyes. Using more of his thinning energy supply, Lukas reached out for the link that he'd set up long ago with Arthur and Vladimir. Sensing it, he reached out, and connected with them.

 _Can you hear me?_ Lukas asked desperately.

 _Wha-? Is this telepathy, or am I going crazy?_ Came Vladimir's reply.

 _It's telepathy, you bloody idiot. You're not crazy yet._ Arthur snapped.

 _I need your help!_ Lukas said.

 _Our help? Why? Have things got out of control already?_ The Brit asked.

 _You could say that. But I'd feel more confident if you two were here as well. Fenris has a couple of tricks up its sleeve._ The Norwegian answered.

 _Okay, I'm coming. Try and hang on until then, okay?_ Arthur decided.

 _Yeah, I'm coming too!_ He could almost see Vladimir's grin.

 _Alright, you two. Be safe, and hurry._ Lukas sighed, feeling exhausted by keeping the link active.

He disconnected it quickly, and dropped to his knees, feeling the control he had slowly disappearing, and being taken over. Lukas had no choice but to submit – temporarily – to the werewolf, and let it take over until he'd recovered enough energy to take control again.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mathias, who was now back in control, was absolutely furious. This was the _second_ time that Fenris had managed to control him. And he'd make sure that it would be the last.

Growling loudly, Mathias leapt at Fenris, desperate to rip it apart, before he was knocked off course by Emil, who had been thrown by Lukas.

Confused, the Dane regained his balance and stared at the sight of Lukas attacking everything around him, including the ground. He'd completely lost control.

"Mathias! I think Lukas called his friends, but he's out of control now!" Emil exclaimed, before dodging an incoming swipe from the Norwegian. Sighing in annoyance, Mathias turned his attention to Lukas as he attempted to bite the Dane, and defending himself by simply pushing the smaller half-breed away. Staggering slightly, Lukas swiftly recovered, and went in for another attack, before a staff slapped against his belly, sending him sprawling backwards and onto the floor. The staff belonged to Berwald, who was now following up with another attack.

Glancing quickly at Mathias, Berwald nodded a silent message to him, before he attacked Lukas again, trying to force the Norwegian away from Mathias. The Dane understood the silent message instantly. It was 'Go fight Fenris. I'll take care of Lukas.'

Snarling at Fenris, Mathias charged forward on all fours, with the other werewolf copying. Just before they collided, the Dane reared backwards, planting his hind legs firmly into the ground and digging his claws in for extra measure. Fenris tried to rear up as well, but it was too close to Mathias, who had the advantage.

Flexing his claws, Mathias raised his arms up and to the side, before he slashed diagonally downwards, with each paw in perfect unison with the other, creating two identical slash marks on Fenris' chest at exactly the same time, forming a bloody 'X' shape.

Recoiling in pain, Fenris stumbled and lost its footing. As it fell, it doubled over, both forepaws clutching its chest as blood poured from the wound. However, a faint sizzling sound was heard as the flow of blood slowed, and the injury slowly began to close itself up and heal.

Shocked, Mathias stared, and then realised that the blow to its shoulder that Tino had dealt had disappeared.

Suddenly, Fenris snapped its head up, once again locking eyes with Mathias, and splayed its claws on its left forepaw, before muttering, **_"Bindo Maginka Willuo Inavisebleia!"_** Invisible binds made of magic immediately wrapped around Mathias' entire body, greatly restricting his movements and causing him to fall over.

 **"** **That's one of…Lukas' spells…"** He trailed off as the binds tightened even further, making it hard to breathe, let alone talk.

Fenris laughed evilly. **"Yes, I suppose it is. But I don't appreciate you attacking me after I levelled the playing field like that. It's highly disrespectful, considering I'm technically your master."**

Mathias spat on the floor, next to Fenris' foot. **"You're not my master, you bas-"**

He was cut off as the binds tightened even further, nearly completely cutting off his air supply.

Fenris tutted. **"Now now, that's no way to respect me! Now, look at me."**

Mathias refused, biting his lip to stop from calling it every name under the sun.

 **"** **Look. At. Me.** ** _Now."_** Mathias still refused, and Fenris growled impatiently.

 **"** **Why do you want me to look up?"** The Dane said in one breath.

 **"** **So I can teach you not to disrespect me."** Suddenly, something clicked in Mathias' head. _Every time he uses a spell, he locks eyes with me…! That's it!_

Miraculously, it was at that moment that Berwald barrelled into Fenris against his will – he'd just been thrown by an angry Lukas. Slightly dazed, he sat up, raising an eyebrow at Mathias lying on the floor, restrained by something invisible. But in the next second, the binds disappeared, as the concentration Fenris had on the spell was lost when he'd been knocked down.

Springing up, Mathias curled his left forepaw into a fist, stamped his foot into the ground to keep a strong stance, and sent a left hook straight round Fenris' jaw. This sent it spiralling backwards as its head snapped to the side, and it collapsed into a heap on the ground.

Mathias let out a short bark of laughter. **"Time to kill you~"**

"Mathias…" Berwald called warningly.

The werewolf turned to face the Swede. **"What? It needs to die!"**

"Yes, but…not yet."

Mathias' eyes widened. **"What?! Are you kidding me?! It's down! Kill it now! Kill it now!"**

Berwald slowly crept towards the Dane. "Mathias, that's not you speaking. That's what the werewolf is telling you, okay? That's not you speaking."

Mathias' lips curled into a snarl, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. **"What's to stop me from killing you?"**

Berwald opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a sudden flash, and suddenly Arthur was standing there, glancing around, slightly confused. His blonde hair was ruffled more than usual, and he wore a simple jacket, t-shirt, jeans and trainers, but it was still the same Brit as always.

Then he caught sight of Berwald, and waved, strolling over. "I came as fast as I could. Quite a mess here, isn't it?" He murmured, gazing at the werewolves. "But I haven't seen a werewolf in a while, I must admit! However-"

Without warning, Mathias leapt at Arthur, killer intent shining in his eyes. With a not-so-manly shriek, the Brit rolled out of the way, glaring furiously at the werewolf as he glared back.

"How _dare_ you interrupt me! You'll pay for that!" Arthur raised his hand, eyes glowing, and a bright emerald glow surrounded Mathias. " _Inferno hellano moinsta-"_

"Wait! Don't do that!" Tino cried as he raced over, jumping on Arthur and knocking him to the ground. The glow disappeared abruptly.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm casting a spell! Bloody hell, you're as bad as Alfred!" Arthur chastised.

"Don't hurt Mathias!" Tino begged.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "What? Wait; _that's_ Mathias?!"

Tino nodded, and the Brit looked alarmed. "Look, we can sort this out later." Berwald interrupted the little exchange between the two. "Right now, we have three werewolves to take care of, unless Mathias can sort himself out, and Lukas can regain control."

Arthur paused, before nodding curtly. "Alright. Tino, please get off me, if you don't mind."

Tino leapt to his feet, and immediately ducked as Mathias aimed a blow at his head. He leapt backwards as Mathias attacked again, and before he knew it, the Finn was completely on defence.

Arthur got to his feet, and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, before pulling out a small Webley Revolver. "It's not much, but it might slow them down, at least. Werewolves have fast-working regeneration abilities, don't they?"

Berwald nodded, and pointed at Fenris. "Only aim at that one. It's easy to confuse it and Mathias, but you can't possibly confuse it with Lukas. So just be careful which werewolf you shoot at."

Arthur nodded, and aimed his gun at Fenris.

In response, Fenris laughed. **"Oh, that's priceless. You really think** ** _that_** **old thing will do much against** ** _me?_** **Ha! Humans are more stupid than I originally thought."**

Arthur lowered the gun and huffed indignantly. " _I'm_ stupid? Please. If anything, _you're_ stupid."

Fenris stopped laughing, and raised a furry eyebrow at the Brit. **"Oh? Is that so? If I'm so** ** _stupid_** **, then there's no way you could** ** _possibly_** **get hit by this!"** In a second, Fenris was inches away from Arthur, paw raised and ready to strike.

All the Brit could do was widen his eyes as the werewolf brought its paw down. However, it never hit Arthur, as Berwald smacked Fenris in the face with his staff, stunning it enough to stop its arm from its descent.

Quickly, Arthur raised his gun, and after turning the safety off, pulled the trigger. Fenris dodged as much as it could, what with being at pretty much point blanc, and the bullet ripped through fur and flesh as it shot into the werewolf's shoulder.

Howling in pain, Fenris clutched its shoulder, staggering backwards as its healing system tried to force the bullet out of its shoulder, to fully heal the wound.

Panting, Fenris tipped its head back and howled loudly, attracting the attention of Mathias and Lukas.

Growling, Mathias approached the other werewolf, tail swishing from side to side and ears flat against his head.

Fenris put its head back down, and opened its mouth, about to utter something, when a flash appeared, and Vladimir fell right on top of Fenris, sending them both crashing to the ground.

Vladimir landed right on his backside, and he wasn't too pleased about that. "Ow ow ow ow ow, goddammit, _ow_."

"Glad you could join us on this fine night." Arthur called.

Vladimir grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. "Wouldn't miss potential death for the world."

Recognition danced across Mathias' eyes, and he shook his head wildly, before staring at the Romanian.

Vladimir, however, stared back at him with no recognition whatsoever, and was kind of creeped out by how intently the werewolf was staring at him. "Uh…why are you staring at me like that?" Then he turned to the others. "Why is he staring at me like that?"

"It's Mathias." Berwald replied bluntly.

"Oh." A pause. "Wait what?!"

"Lukas told you that Mathias was a werewolf, didn't he?" Arthur explained. "Well, so hello to Werewolf Mathias. One of the many different forms of this one Danish man." He sounded like a TV presenter.

Vladimir sniggered. "Hello, Werewolf Mathias. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand for a formal hand-shake, before he hesitated. "Will he rip my hand off?"

"Possibly." The Brit shrugged.

**"** **Long time no see, Vladimir."**

"Wha-?! Who said that?!" Vladimir exclaimed, looking wildly around.

Suddenly, Fenris appeared behind Vladimir as he got to his feet, and it grabbed the Romanian's left arm. The bullet wound in its shoulder had healed now.

Surprised by the sudden contact, he looked behind him, just in time to see Fenris quickly snap his arm, from the elbow down.

"You _motherf_ -" The rest of his rant was cut off as Fenris shoved him to the floor forcefully, face-first.

"Vlad!" Arthur shouted in shock and rage, and he aimed his gun at Fenris again. But this time, the werewolf was quicker, and it grabbed the gun, and was about to rip it from his hands when a sudden voice made it freeze.

" _Reținere invizibil!"_ By some unseen force, Fenris was completely frozen in place.

Arthur chuckled. "I'd quite forgotten that you use spells in your own language instead of one of the ancient languages like myself and Lukas."

Vladimir smiled weakly, before wincing as another sharp pain shot up his left arm. "Don't suppose you know any healing spells?"

Arthur smiled sadly and shook his head. "Sorry, I don't. Only ones that can heal cuts and bruises, not broken bones. You'll just have to wait."

" _Seriously_? But it really hurts-ah!" The Romanian squeezed his eyes shut as the pain increased, only to find that Fenris had stumbled backwards, desperate to get out of his spell, and had stood directly on his broken arm, and didn't show any sign of getting off.

So Vladimir decided to take matters into his own hands. "Get off my arm, you fat, overgrown mutant wolf!" He added emphasis and a brief pause between every single word, only to not get the desired effect.

Fenris glanced down at him, but instead added more weight onto the foot that was on top of the Romanian's arm, realising that it had the advantage there, and he couldn't hold back a cry of pain this time. However, it was soon replaced by a colourful string of Romanian profanities.

Arthur growled and was about to aim his gun again when Mathias roared and charged towards Fenris, carrying his silver axe – his MES.

The other werewolf snarled and tried desperately to escape, but Vladimir's spell held strong, even when he was in pain. Then an idea struck it, and it flashed a toothy grin, before locking eyes with Mathias, who was glaring right at it.

 **"** ** _Killius Thious Denmark."_** Same spell, same effect. Mathias slowed to a halt, eyes turning red, before he yelped loudly in pain, and dropped the axe to the floor. His axe had burned both his paws, from the tips of the fingers to the base of the palms.

"Agh, this spell again? It gets on your nerves." Emil complained from where he stood, facing off with Lukas. Up until then, those two had been completely forgotten about. "Oh, and if you're not too busy over there, could you oh I don't know, maybe _get over here and help me!"_ To add effect, Lukas kicked Emil to the ground, and pounced on him.

Eyes widening, Tino raced over, staff at the ready.

A scream startled the others, and they stared in horror as Vladimir's spell weakened, and Fenris twisted its foot from side to side as if wiping a stain from underneath a shoe. It was incredibly painful for the Romanian, as his already broken bones were then twisted backwards and forwards.

Breathing harshly through his nose, Vladimir bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, and clenched his jaw, his eyes tightly shut and right hand curled into a fist.

Arthur narrowed his eyes, and began chanting the beginnings of a spell. However, before he could get very far, Vladimir's spell broke completely, and Fenris wasted no time springing at the Brit and knocking him to the floor.

 **"** ** _Killius Sweden."_** Fenris ordered. Berwald tensed slightly at hearing his country name, but was surprised when he didn't fall under the werewolf's control.

"Why didn't it work?" He wondered aloud.

 **"** **I wasn't talking to you."** It snapped, and the Swede soon realised who it _was_ talking to, and immediately ducked as Mathias tried to behead him.

"Well why didn't you just use that spell of yours on me?" Berwald asked as he rolled and swung with his staff.

Fenris growled in reply, and instead occupied itself with trying to kill Arthur. With everyone busy fighting, and Vladimir busy trying not to pass out, nobody could save the Brit except himself.

His eyes glowed as he began to utter a simple yet effective spell. " _Gailus Sprinion!"_ A strong burst of wind shot out of Arthur's mouth, sending Fenris flying into the air – although not very high. It fell to the ground and lay in an ungraceful heap on the floor.

* * *

Meanwhile, it was the moment that Lukas had been waiting for. He'd regained enough energy to take back his body from within, and decided to lock the werewolf in the silver cage. This would enable him to use his MES. It was already nearly midnight, which meant they only had about four hours or so until the moon would set and the sun would rise. If they didn't kill Fenris tonight, then how long would they have to wait for the next opportunity? A month? A year? A decade?

He sighed with relief as he retook control of his body, stopping himself short of swiping at Emil.

Lukas' eyes widened as he saw Tino about to hit him on the head with his staff, and raised his hands to try and deflect the blow. **"Wa-it! It's m-e!"**

The Finn frowned and paused the staff in its descent. "Lukas?"

Lukas nodded furiously, and Tino laughed with relief. "Thank God! I _really_ didn't want to fight you like this."

"Arthur and Vladimir are here, you know." Emil informed, arms crossed. His left hand clutched his upper right arm slightly, and a little bit of blood seeped out between his fingers. Lukas noticed this.

 **"** **Oh, ok-ay."** The Norwegian turned to Emil. **"You're blee-ding."**

The Icelander recoiled slightly in shock, before snapping defensively, "It's nothing. Tree branch got me, that's all."

"But we're not very close to a tree." Tino frowned.

"There's plenty of trees over there." Emil pointed at the forest.

 **"** **Yeah, but th-at's** ** _over the-re_** **. We're** ** _ov-er here_** **. Did I scra-tch you?"** Lukas asked, taking a step closer to the Icelander.

"It's nothing." Emil repeated, more insistently.

Lukas narrowed his eyes. **"We'll con-tinue this to-morrow."**

Sighing exasperatedly, Emil turned and began walking towards the battle, picking up his sword, which had been dropped a while back.

Lukas' stomach turned to ice as he realised that Mathias was once again under Fenris' spell. _Not again_ , he thought with dread, _do I have to do the release spell again? But then I'll lose control again. What to – is that Vladimir?!_

Worried at the sight of his friend lying unmoving on the ground, Lukas hurried over to him, and breathed sharply at the sight of Vladimir's mangled arm.

Crouching down, the Norwegian checked his pulse, and found it fluttering, but still there, thankfully. **"Vl-ad?"**

A slight twitch, but nothing more. He'd passed out from the pain, that was for sure. _I know a couple of healing spells, but can I risk it? I don't know if I'll still manage to be in control if I use one. Either way, Fenris is_ not _getting away with this._

Determined to avenge his friend, Lukas stood and began walking towards the werewolf, who was fighting against Arthur and Berwald, as Mathias also fought against them. Tino and Emil accompanied Lukas and soon joined the fray. There was a small crater not far from where they were fighting, presumably from where something – or someone – had hit the ground.

Lukas tightened his grip around his hairpin, making sure it was in his right hand – his werewolf hand, which was the strongest out of his two hands.

As he approached Fenris, Lukas raised the pin, and took a deep breath, before running forward and pushing the pin in front of him. It connected with Fenris' left upper arm, and the flesh began to smoulder as if burned.

Whining in pain, Fenris clutched its arm in pain as the flesh continued to burn, before stopping, and leaving behind a massive, pin-shaped mark. Snarling angrily, Fenris attempted to snap at Lukas, but he jumped out of the way.

Just as he was about to strike again, Mathias barrelled into him, sending him crashing to the ground. The Dane stood over him, scarlet eyes blazing at him as he prepared to sink his teeth into Lukas.

 **"** **Damm-it…I have no choi-ce…"** Lukas muttered as he closed his eyes, before opening them and casting a spell. **_"Relesius maigickiom!"_** The spell worked like before, and Mathias' eyes reverted to normal.

Unfortunately, Lukas had forgot to let go of his silver pin, and when he lost control again, it burned his right paw.

Hissing in pain, the Norwegian dropped the pin, and held his paw to his chest. Mathias' eyes widened in surprise, before he grasped what was going on.

Growling, the Dane scanned the area for his axe, and soon found it. Making sure the werewolf within him was surrounded by a fiery ring of powerful emotions, he dashed towards the axe and grabbed it, before recoiling. Confused, Mathias glanced at his paws, and gasped quietly at the sight of his badly burnt paws. The fur had melted away, as had most of the skin, revealing tender flesh underneath.

Sucking a breath in, Mathias carefully reached for his axe, and curled his fingers around the handle, before adding more pressure, and lifting the weapon into the air. Wincing at the pain it brought, he turned to Fenris, who was facing off against Arthur, Berwald, Tino and Emil. However, Lukas suddenly sprang at Arthur, and pinned him down on the floor.

Taken by surprise, Arthur wriggled and squirmed, desperate to get out of the half-breed's grip, but Lukas was too strong for him like this.

Luckily, Emil came to the rescue, and slammed the hilt of his sword onto Lukas' head, stunning him enough to let the Brit scramble to his feet.

Mumbling a quick thanks, Arthur readied himself for the next attack, refusing to use his gun.

Lukas shook his head, and began racing towards the Brit, who waited until the last second before shouting, " _Tsuunomia waiviom!"_ Immediately, a hug wave of water crashed straight into Lukas, sending him flying backwards.

Emil dashed forward and sent a hard punch into Lukas' stomach. "Lukas, snap out of it! Take back control, dammit!"

Baring his teeth, the Norwegian leapt over Emil, kicking him in the face with his hind legs, before landing and whirling round to watch a surprised Icelander fall backwards.

Tino glanced at Fenris, then at Lukas, before deciding to help Arthur and Emil out. Then it was three against one, which would hopefully contain Lukas for long enough so that he could retake control.

* * *

Vladimir raised his head wearily, and glanced at the two battles raging on near him. One was Arthur, Emil and Tino fighting against Lukas, who looked like he wanted to kill them all. The other was Berwald and one of the werewolves with a giant axe fighting the other werewolf. _The one with the axe is probably Mathias,_ he thought as he turned his gaze to his left arm, wincing at the sight. It would hurt for a few days, that was for sure.

Sighing, the Romanian used his good arm to prop himself up, before getting his feet under him and shakily getting to his feet, biting his lip as the movement sent a sharp pain rocketing up his left arm.

Keeping his arm close to his chest, Vladimir walked toward Mathias and Berwald, intent on helping them out. The moon was just passing halfway, and had begun its gradual descent. _Definitely past one in the morning, I know that much._ He hummed thoughtfully as he tried to figure out what time it was. He'd forgotten to bring a watch with him, so he had no way of knowing what time it was. Besides, it would probably only get broken in the fight.

Berwald started in surprise at seeing Vladimir walking towards him, but quickly recovered and nodded a greeting. "Glad you're back in action."

"Well, only partly. My arm's completely bust right now; but I still have my feet and right arm, if that's any help." The Romanian replied.

"Can you still use magic?" The Swede asked.

Vladimir grinned. "'Course."

"Good. Try and use one now."

"Don't have to tell me twice." He closed his eyes, concentrating, before he snapped them open and casted. " _Inel de flacără!"_ Within seconds, a large ring of tall flames sprang up from the ground, surrounding Fenris.

Mathias glanced over at Vladimir, who was wearing a smirk, but was also trying to hide his panting. _Of course,_ the Dane thought, _magic saps energy. And a spell like that must take a lot out of someone._

Fenris' nose twitched as smoke entered its nose and mouth. Snarling, it tried to leap over the flames, but they were too high for even a werewolf to escape.

Suddenly, an idea sprung to Mathias' mind, and he stepped closer to the fire, before binging his axe back and then swinging it forward, through the fire, and aiming for Fenris.

A loud yelp was heard when his axe left a deep gash in Fenris' lower arm – the same arm that had been burned by Lukas' pin. The wound hissed and burned rather loudly.

Berwald internally sighed with relief. _We've got it now, surely._ He thought, before his eyebrows furrowed. The flames lowered a little, and flickered, as if slowly being put out.

Glancing over at Vladimir, the Swede cursed as he noticed the Romanian's eyelids slowly sliding down his eyes. His stance weakened, and Berwald reached forward to catch him as Vladimir's legs buckled under him. The flames disappeared.

"You alright?" Berwald asked as Vladimir's eyes opened again.

"Yeah…just tired…" Came his reply.

 _Strange,_ Berwald thought, _Arthur casted a few spells, and he's not tired. Unless…_ Turning his head, Berwald watch as Arthur's movements slowed down and became fairly sluggish, as if he were exhausted.

"Damn…Tino!" The Swede yelled, catching the man in question's attention.

"What?" Then the Finn gasped. "What's wrong with Vladimir?!"

"Arthur!" Berwald replied, eyes widening as the Brit staggered slightly, and the ground began to rise up to meet him. Luckily, Tino quickly caught him.

"What's the matter with them?" Berwald wondered aloud, and jumped when Vladimir replied.

"Magic…must be out of…practice…" Sighing, the Romanian's body slackened, and Berwald began to shake him to keep him awake.

"I know you're tired, but you need to stay awake. You might get trampled if you go to sleep here."

A sudden _thud_ caught Berwald's attention, and he stared at the sight of Mathias throwing Fenris against a tree, before leaping away and speaking quickly to the Swede.

**"** **I know how it casts spells now – but they only work on me and Lukas. And it needs eye contact."**

Berwald raised an eyebrow. "So its spells won't work on the rest of us?"

Mathias shook his head. **"No. Or at least, I don't think so."** He glanced down at Vladimir. **"But I don't think we can rely on magic much anymore."**

The Swede shook his head. "No, we can't. I need to take him away from the battle so he can recover his energy. Can you cover for me?"

The Dane nodded, and readied his axe as Fenris charged towards him. Swinging his axe, Mathias took a step forward, and Fenris ducked, rolled and hugged Mathias' hind legs, causing him to lose balance and fall backwards.

Berwald put his trust in the Dane, and gathered Vladimir in his arms. He was unconscious now – but Berwald didn't like putting it that way. He preferred just saying 'he was asleep'. It sounded less worrying.

Soon getting to the treeline, the Swede placed Vladimir down, leaning him back against the sturdy trunk of a tree. When he didn't stir, Berwald stood straight, turned, and walked back to Mathias, who was struggling to get up as Fenris pinned him down by his throat.

He broke into a run, holding his staff behind him. Once he was close enough, Berwald slammed one foot into the ground, swung the rest of his body forward, and sent the arm that held the staff hurtling forward, where it connected with Fenris' right jaw, sending it spinning sideways, and off Mathias, who immediately stood up, and prepared to bury his axe in Fenris' head.

 **"** **Ha, the last desperate attempt of the warrior."** Fenris suddenly spoke up.

Mathias frowned. **"What?"**

Fenris locked eyes with him, but didn't cast a spell. **"Why do you aim to kill me?"**

The Dane shifted from one foot to the other. **"Because you started all this."**

**"** **That's where you're wrong."**

A growl rose in Mathias' throat. **"And** ** _how_** **am I wrong?"**

Fenris chuckled. **"Simple. I was merely** ** _created_** **from this problem. It's hardly my fault that I bit you back then."**

**"** **Of** **_course_ ** **it was your fault back then!"**

It shrugged. **"Biting living creatures is just my nature. I can't help it."**

**"** **So what, you're playing the innocent card now?"**

**"** **No, I am simple explaining to you that it was actually** ** _your_** **fault this happened."**

Mathias tensed, and Berwald feared that he would snap. **"You better explain how the hell it's my fault** ** _right now_** **."**

Fenris smirked. **"Because if you had been with Lukas when he casted the spell, you could've stopped it in time, or simply avoided the spell completely. Also, it was** ** _you_** **who** ** _allowed_** **Lukas to perform spells."**

**"** **But-"**

**"** **So I hardly think it's fair that you're blaming** **_me_ ** **for all this. So I'll ask again: why do you want to kill me?"**

Mathias frowned, but replied confidently, **"Because I want to be free of this horrid curse."**

**"** **Oh? A curse, you say? Well, that's interesting. So you think the whole werewolf thing is a curse, do you? Well, does that mean my very** **_existence_ ** **is a curse, then?"**

**"** **Yes, it is. That is why I must exorcise you, you foul demon."** The Dane raised his axe, but paused at Fenris' next response.

 **"** **A 'foul demon', eh? Well, what does that make** ** _you_** **?"** It raised its head and continued. **"You know, we're not that different. I suppose you could say we're…** ** _brothers-_** **"**

 **"** **I am** ** _not_** **your** ** _brother_** **."** Mathias spat, adding more strength behind his axe.

 **"** **Then what? Cousins? Face it; we're one in the same. You just don't want to admit it, because you know it's true."** Mathias hesitated for just a few seconds, and that was all Fenris needed.

Springing up, it raked its claws horizontally along Mathias' stomach, causing him to yelp in pain and anger. He tried to retaliate by bringing his axe down, but Fenris darted behind him and shoved him, causing him to nearly fall on his axe, had he not leant to the side as he fell.

Cursing under his breath, the Dane leapt up again, bringing his axe round in a wide arc, and the edge barely skimmed Fenris' chest, but it was enough to burn its flesh again.

Berwald stepped in, using his staff to block a swipe from Fenris, and smacking it in the ribs. Hissing, the werewolf leapt back, giving the duo a wide berth.

But Mathias and Berwald subconsciously coordinated their movements perfectly, so as soon as one went in on the attack, the other was there to deal another blow. They had each other's backs as well.

Fenris had gone to scratch an unsuspecting Mathias, and Berwald had knocked away the paw with his staff. It was as if their bodies were merely extensions of each other.

 _I think it's safe to say we're winning,_ Mathias thought with a grin as he brought his axe down diagonally, causing Fenris to jump backwards. Berwald anticipated this, and sidestepped Mathias' axe as it swept down, and added a hard jab with his staff to the centre of its chest. The jab was hard enough to knock the breath out of Fenris, and cause it to stagger even further backwards.

Fenris was losing ground rapidly, and both sides knew this.

It went to turn and retreat, but stopped short as it caught sight of Tino stood there, waving with a malicious grin on his face. "Gotcha." He said.

Snapping its head to the side, Fenris was met with the sight of Emil, sword at the ready. Turning the opposite way, dread began to fill the werewolf as Lukas stood there, hairpin is his right paw.

Turning back to face Mathias and Berwald, Fenris inwardly cursed as it realised that it was trapped in a five-point circle – a pentagon, with rounded edges, as one way of calling it.

And the worst part was that if Lukas had recovered, then Vladimir and Arthur would soon as well, which meant that there was no hope left for Fenris.

Desperately, it tried to lock eyes with Mathias, but froze as it noticed that he had his eyes down, not meeting its gaze. Thinking of Lukas, Fenris quickly turned to the Norwegian, but swallowed nervously as he too had his eyes down. However, the other three locked eyes with it confidently.

 _Damn! They figured my spell weaknesses out!_ It thought, before an idea sprung to mind.

 **"** **Listen, I have a proposal for you all."** It began.

"And why should we listen to _you_?" Emil demanded.

Fenris held up a paw to silence him. **"How about instead of killing me, you send me back to where I came from?"**

 **"** **Because then Math-ias and I will still be suff-ering from th-is."** Lukas replied.

Fenris clucked its tongue. **"There's no chance I can get out of this, is there?"**

"Nope." Tino smirked.

**"** **Thought so. But hey, what time is it?"**

"None of your business." Berwald snapped.

**"** **Oh come on, if you're going to kill me, I'd at least like to know what time it is."**

Berwald opened his mouth to reply, but Tino interrupted him. "Alright, fine. I brought a watch with me but it's slightly cracked." He glanced at it, and read, "It's 2:30am. Happy?"

**"** **Yes, thank you. Now I know. At 2:30am, you all** **_died_ ** **."**

"Huh?" Emil frowned, before Fenris sprang at him, knocking him down. But before it could rip his throat out, Tino lunged with his staff, and the blade entered Fenris' shoulder.

Growling, Fenris leapt off of Emil, dragging Tino with it as his weapon was still embedded in its shoulder. In a split second, the werewolf had removed the staff, and had one of its paws around the Finn's throat.

Lukas ran forward, slamming his pin onto Fenris' cheek, causing it to howl in agony and drop Tino. Fenris rounded on the Norwegian, leaning forward to bite him.

Berwald easily deflected the attack with his staff, and retaliated by smacking Fenris' burnt cheek with the other end of his staff. Hissing in pain, it backed off, before it froze, a look of pain and horror on its face. Emil had been behind it, and it'd completely forgotten about him.

But now Fenris remembered Emil's presence – mostly because of the sword now impaling him through the back.

Tsking, the Icelander ripped his sword out of the werewolf's back, and it fell to the floor, twitching as the wound quickly closed.

"You should have left your sword in its back, Emil." Berwald commented, as Fenris slowly rose to its feet.

But Mathias was there in an instant, and swung his axe with so much ferocity that it completely severed Fenris' left arm.

Howling in pure agony, Fenris fell to the ground, clutching the area where its arm used to be.

 **"** **I'd say we're even now. You ripped my arm off, I rip your arm off. Except mine grew back. Yours won't."** Mathias remarked as he stood over the bleeding werewolf.

Fenris glanced up at Mathias, before it feebly asked, **"My end is near. My demise is inevitable. I understand this. But could you do one last thing for me?"**

Mathias' nose twitched. **"What?"**

**"** **Let us have one last blow each – just us two. At the same time. A showdown, if you want to call it that."**

The Dane frowned, ears perked with curiosity. **"How about twenty metres apart?"**

Fenris nodded. **"Alright. Thank you."**

**"** **Don't get me wrong; I'm not doing this for** **_you_ ** **. I'm doing this as it will most likely be the final blow. Might as well do it in style."**

Fenris got to its feet, and turned away from Mathias. The Dane also turned away, and the pair began walking slowly away from each other, until there was about twenty metres between them. Then they stopped.

 **"** **I'll do a cou-ntdown."** Lukas announced, and took a deep breath. But before he could begin, he was interrupted.

"What on earth is going on now?" Arthur walked towards them, having been laid down on the ground, asleep, while this was going on.

"Yeah, I'm really confused." Vladimir added, cradling his left arm delicately.

"It's hard to explain. Just watch; you don't want to miss it." Tino replied, before turning back to the werewolves.

Shrugging, the Brit and the Romanian focused their attention on the two werewolves.

 **"** **Ok-ay. When I ge-t to ten, you tu-rn, and fight."** Lukas ordered, earning a nod from both of them. They both wore a broad, toothy smirk on their faces.

 **"** **One. Two. Thr-ee. Four. Five. Si-x. Seven. Eight. Ni-ne…"** He paused, before finishing. **"Ten."**

As soon as he said 'ten', Mathias and Fenris whirled around and charged towards each other.

They got closer to each other, closing in on the other, one with an axe, one with sharp claws…

…ten metres…

…five metres…

…three metres…

…and then they exchanged blows.

Fenris brought its right arm forward, ripping into Mathias' side.

While at the same time, Mathias brought his axe across in a wide arc-

-ripping Fenris in two.

Both slowed to a halt. Mathias clutched his side. Fenris fell to the ground, legs and the lower half of its stomach a little way from the rest of its body.

Coughing, Fenris congratulated the Dane. **"Well done…Mathias. You…defeated me. You…win…"** Then it fell silent, and the light faded from its eyes.

Mathias walked closer to Fenris. **"It was an honour fighting you, Fenris. Even after everything you've done, you were a worthy opponent, and you died fighting."**

Lukas walked up to the fallen werewolf. **"I'm so-rry for creat-ing you, Fenris. But I'm no-t sorry for yo-ur death here. You de-served it."**

Vladimir stepped closer to Fenris, and murmured quietly, "Odihnească-se în pace."

Tino frowned. "What does that mean?"

Vladimir smiled sadly. "Rest in peace."

"Seriously?" Emil narrowed his eyes.

"Well, at the end of the day, it did all of this out of its nature. The same as we have human nature which we can't help, this creature had werewolf nature which it couldn't help. What was its name? Fenris?"

Berwald nodded. "Yeah. But it's over now, isn't it?"

Arthur sighed. "Yes. Fenris is dead."

Mathias turned to face the moon, and his eyes widened. **"The moon! It's setting!"**

Lukas glanced down at himself. **"But I'm st-ill a werewo-lf!"**

Both of them stared desperately at the moon, confused by why they weren't changing back. Would they permanently be like that? Or maybe Fenris' death did not cure them of this?

The nations watched as the last rays of moonlight disappeared, and the clearing was instead bathed in weak sunlight, as the sun slowly rose on the opposite side of where the moon had been.

Suddenly, Mathias and Lukas were surrounded by a bright, golden light, which engulfed them in a cocoon of light. All the other nation could do was cover their eyes at the blinding light in front of them.

After a few minutes, the light faded, and the two figures slowly dropped to the floor. It was Mathias and Lukas – as humans, not werewolves.

A sudden gentle yet strong female voice caught everyone's attention. **"Following the death of Fenris the magic werewolf, Mathias Køhler, aka Denmark, and Lukas Bondevik, aka Norway, have been freed of the werewolf curse that Fenris inflicted upon them. May they return to their normal lives, without any interference of creatures from the dark depths of the occult."**

As sudden as it appeared, the voice disappeared. "Who was that?" Tino asked.

"The Queen of the Occult, presumably. She's rarely heard from, so consider yourselves lucky that you heard her." Arthur explained, and left it at that.

Mathias glanced over at Lukas, who was rubbing his right hand and wincing. The Dane glanced down at his own hands, which were burnt and sore. _Well, I can't expect supernatural creatures to do_ everything, _now can i?_ He thought.

"Hey, Mathias." Lukas called.

"Yeah?"

"Are we free now?"

"Yeah."

"Are we normal nations again?"

"Yeah."

Lukas leant back, gazing up at the sky. "Good."

Without warning, Tino leapt at them, hugging them like there was no tomorrow, with tears dripping down his face. Berwald and Emil, although slightly reluctantly, joined in on the hug.

Arthur stood to the side, not willing to take part in a giant hug, but Vladimir laughed and wrapped his right arm around a random person, careful of his mangled left arm.

It was over now.

Lukas was freed from a couple-of-days-long curse.

Mathias was freed from a three-hundred-years-long curse.

And they all knew that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I warned you it would be long! My God, it's just over 9K words!
> 
> But, I felt like putting the final battle into one chapter, instead of many.
> 
> Also, I'm not Romanian, and the Romanian words in this were off Google Translate. Sorry if they're wrong (which they probably are, knowing me). And I could tell you what they all mean, but I tried to explain it as much as I could in the chapter (also I can't be bothered).
> 
> Do you know something? I write on Word (Office), and usually, my chapters take up five or six pages. This chapter, however, took up 19 pages. I don't know about you, but that's a lot.
> 
> This is officially my longest chapter - this includes short stories and one-shots. Seriously, why would I make it so long?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter – considering it took me about 8 hours or so. And there's one more chapter to go, so stay tuned (great, now I'm a radio)!
> 
> Bye~


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. The werewolf curse has been broken, and both Mathias and Lukas are free nations once again.
> 
> We say our goodbyes to Vladimir and Arthur, who go back to their homes, and while the damage around the house is being fixed, Mathias and Lukas have a meaningful conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Final chapter! Woo!
> 
> I confirm that there will be one-shots branching off of this story.
> 
> Oh, and Nikola is the human name I chose for Bulgaria. I looked online, but his official name was never confirmed, and I kinda like the name Nikola Dimitrov for him, you know?
> 
> Anyway, on with the chapter and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

It was the morning following the night of the full moon. Vladimir and Arthur had stayed with them for as long as they could, but it was time for them to leave (even though it was only 10;30am).

Tino stared at Vladimir. "Are you serious?"

The man in question nodded, with a sad smile on his face. "Yeah."

"But I'm sure Lukas could find a spell to heal your arm! I mean, it must hurt, like, _really_ bad!" Tino protested.

"No. I don't want to speed up the healing process, because you guys didn't speed up _your_ healing processes, so why should I? Besides, I wouldn't want to put any more strain on Lukas' hand."

"But-"

Vladimir held up his good hand to cut off Tino's argument. "It's fine, really." Then he grinned, his eyes twinkling. "I mean, once I go back home, I'm sure Nikola would kill me when he sees it. Wouldn't want to miss that!"

Tino shrugged in defeat. "If you're sure."

"Yeah! Well, I'll see you guys later – hopefully, anyway." He lowered his voice, and said almost to himself, "Pity Lukas can't come and see me off."

"He's tired, is all." Berwald answered the unasked question, walking up to them.

"Oh, okay. Well, I don't mind." Vladimir replied.

Tino turned to Arthur, who was stood next to the Romanian, and looked at him with a pleading expression. "Can't you stay any longer? Please? We only see you in meetings, and you're always too busy with Alfred or Francis to come chat with us."

"Well, I try to annoy them as much as I can, but that bloody American is hard to ignore at times." Vladimir wiggled his eyebrows, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, to which Arthur quickly understood what he was implying, and growled angrily. "It's not like that, you twat." The Brit tried to swat Vladimir, but he ducked and smirked.

"Oh come on, Artie~" He playfully teased. "You're against an injured man and you can't even land one hit?"

Arthur snorted and rolled his eyes. "'An injured man'? Please, you'll be healed in a few days. A week, at most."

"You never know~"

"Shut it."

"No."

"Why, you-!"

Tino chuckled into his hand. "You two are quite funny, you know?"

Arthur, slightly flustered, stared at the Finn incredulously. "More like he's bloody overdramatic."

"More like he's an old, tea-sipping man. Honestly, tea is gonna kill you one of these days." Romania muttered.

"Tea cannot _kill_ someone; it's healthy!" Arthur argued.

"Sure. He says, as he falls to the floor from a heart attack. The cause: overconsumption of tea."

Arthur made a strangling motion with his hands, before returning to Tino's original question. "Anyway, I apologize, but I can't stay any longer. You see, Alfred asked me to accompany him to the cinema to watch a new horror movie that's coming out. He doesn't want to be by himself, you see. I wouldn't want to miss seeing him get scared over a door opening or something ridiculous like that."

Vladimir threw his right arm forward, palm upward. "See? _See_?! It's obvious! He's going on a date with Alfred, and he wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Arthur's mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish as he tried to form words that would make sense and wouldn't all just be swear words. "You bloody _idiot_! Do you _really_ think I would go on a date with someone who I _raised_? I don't know about you, but if you word it like that, it just sounds wrong." He sighed irritably, and his eyes flickered downwards, before he locked eyes with the Romanian and added, "If Nikola asked _you_ to go the cinema with him to watch a horror movie, and he was a scaredy-cat, would you say yes?"

"Well…that's different! He's my friend, and it's always fun to tease your friends!" Vladimir defended.

"Exactly my point. Alfred and I are just friends. Got it?"

Vladimir rolled his eyes, and raised an eyebrow to Tino, flicking his eyes at Arthur. Tino sniggered, and Vladimir smiled.

"Well, I think I better head back to Bucharest. I have _got_ to tell Nikola about all this!" The Romanian announced and stepped back. "Bye!"

The he closed his eyes, concentrated, and his body began to glow with a soft, light blue light that slowly grew in size and intensity, until it turned into a bright beam of light that shot into the sky. Vladimir's body began to disappear in front of their eyes. Within ten seconds, he'd disappeared.

"Hang on." Tino furrowed his eyebrows. "How come when you nation-hopped here last night, you didn't have that beam of light?"

"The beam of light is needed to break down our bodies into small parts – more or less atoms – and then take us to another location at almost impossible speeds – the speed of light, possibly? So the light absorbs those 'atoms' that used to be our bodies, then transports them and quickly builds it back together. The beam of light isn't needed, as the atoms do this automatically, so the light just…disappears." Arthur explained, and sighed when both Tino and Berwald gave him blank looks. "Never mind."

Tino smiled. "Okay then. I hope you come visit us sometime, you know. Even if it's just for a little chat, alright?"

Arthur nodded, and nation-hopped away.

Once he was gone, the Finn turned to Berwald. "Lukas isn't actually 'tired', is he?"

"Well, technically he is. But he's actually pestering Emil about that little scratch on his arm. That's where I left him, anyway. He mentioned something about going to talk to Mathias, as well." The Swede replied.

"Ah, I see." Tino began to walk away, adding over his shoulder, "Better leave them to it."

Berwald nodded, and followed Tino. "We might as well start fixing the damage around the house. Make ourselves useful."

* * *

Emil sighed with irritation for what felt like the hundredth time. "For the love of God, Lukas, it's _just a scratch._ Stop being overdramatic; it's annoying." Mr Puffin had returned earlier that morning, much to the Icelander's delight, and now he had to deal with _this_.

"But did I do it or not? You blamed it on a _tree,_ but I know the _truth_. It was me, wasn't it? When I lost control, I scratched you, didn't I?" Lukas replied, folding his arms but wincing at the small sting from his bandaged hand.

"Alright, fine!" Emil gave in. "Yes, it was you. When you lost control, you scratched me. But I'm not exactly bleeding on the floor, screaming in agony, now am I? So you're just being ridiculous."

Lukas hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Emil! Please forgive me!"

"Oh for God's sake – I _have_ forgiven you!"

The Norwegian hid a small smirk. "Then say 'I forgive you, big brother'."

"That's it!" Emil wrenched himself out of Lukas' grip, and stormed off.

Quietly chuckling, although slightly hurt that the Icelander still refused to call him 'big brother', Lukas headed downstairs, and to the couch in the front room, where Mathias was sat.

Heading over, the Norwegian tried his hardest not to look at Mathias' bandaged hands. _They'll probably scar._ Lukas thought miserably. _Then again, so will mine. Even though we're no longer werewolves, the damage was already done._

Sighing, Lukas sank into the couch, and glancing at Mathias when he turned to face him.

"Hey, Mathias." Lukas spoke up, but not as a greeting.

Mathias noticed this. "Hmm?"

"Have you ever considered what it would be like to be human?"

"In what way?"

Lukas sighed as he tried to form understandable words. "As in, not having the responsibility of a nation. Just being…a regular human."

"Well," the Dane began, "I've thought about it in a different way."

Lukas raised an eyebrow, silently urging him to continue.

"Let's say that every cell in a human body represents a living human. The cells replace each other, meaning that people replace each other. Some die, and others replace them by being born. But us nations…we're not a normal cell. We're like the organs."

"'Organs'?" The Norwegian echoed.

Mathias nodded. "Yeah. We're like…the heart, for example. We're born when our country is created, the same as a heart start beating when a baby is born. The same goes for death. If our land, if our country, is dissolved – if our country no longer exists, then we will die along with it. The same as when a human dies, the heart goes with it."

Lukas was silent, listening intently to what Mathias was saying.

"And the heart isn't perfect. Many diseases and illnesses can stem from the heart, such as heart disease or heart cancer. We're not perfect, either. We can get sick, injured, poisoned, and we can be haunted by night terrors that corrupt our dreams."

"What are you getting at?"

"But all that…it shows us that we're human – our bodies and minds, at least. If we never got ill, if we never got hurt, then we wouldn't be classed as 'human'."

"…I suppose."

"On the outside, we look human. But on the inside, we have a heart that had been beating for centuries – sometimes millennia. The fact that the human population thinks we're normal humans is good enough for us nations. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah." Lukas nodded. "If I was told, right to my face, that I wasn't human – by one of my people, no less – then I wouldn't know what to do. Because although we represent our countries, which are dominated by humans – making us technically human as we mostly represent humanity -, the person's words would also ring with truth, at the same time. We…we are not human, Mathias. We were born as a _representation_ of _humanity,_ not an actual _human._ But I'm proud to be a representation of humanity. In fact, I'd rather be that than a human."

Mathias hummed in agreement, and the two nations fell silent.

After a couple of minutes, Lukas broke the comfortable silence between them. "Hey, Mathias."

The Dane glanced at him. "Yeah?"

Lukas looked at his bandaged hand. "Will our hands ever _completely_ heal?"

Mathias tilted his head, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, are we going to have scars or something? I'm not entirely sure if we will or not."

Mathias was quiet for a moment, before he smiled softly. "Of course we'll have scars," Lukas looked up, confused by the gentle tone in the Dane's voice, "but that's what makes us strong. Scars show that we've been through something tough, and that we've survived."

"So these," the Dane lifted his bandaged hands, "are a permanent reminder that we've been through something tough-"

"But why would we want to remember all this?" Lukas interrupted.

"-and we survived."

"…" The Norwegian frowned.

Mathias' smile broadened. "We've lived through all this, Lukas. We lived through this, and we still stand tall. We haven't changed."

"But you have." Lukas said with a soft smile.

"Yeah. I've changed. I got my full freedom back." A single tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm free of the curse, Lukas. I'm not longer a Cursed Dane. I'm a Free Dane."

Lukas was quiet for a moment before he leant over and patted Mathias' arm. "Yes. Yes you are. And Mathias?"

"Yeah?"

The Norwegian lifted his bandaged hand, just like Mathias had done. "We now have two things in common."

The Dane raised an eyebrow. "Two?"

Lukas shakily raised his index finger of his injured hand, ignoring the pain it caused. "One: we'll both have scars from this, and we'll never forget it."

He raised his middle finger to join his index finger. "Two: we've both been to hell and back, and we're still alive. We've escaped death's clutches yet again."

Mathias chuckled lightly. "You're right. If we were mortal, we'd be long dead. In fact, I reckon we would have died at least fifty times in our lives."

Lukas smirked. "But we're _im_ mortal, so the cycle just goes on and on, never-ending. Live, die, live again, die again, only to live once again. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Even a fatal blow cannot end our long lives. That, my friend, is the life of a nation."

The Dane nodded. Can't argue with that. Oh, and Lukas?"

"Hmm?"

"I think I prefer it this way."

Lukas was quiet for a moment, before he smiled again, showing as many positive emotions as he could.

"As do I."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: OMG I FINISHED IT!
> 
> I'm so proud of myself. Honestly. Now, the thanks part.
> 
> I thank all of you people out there who read this story. It means a lot to me to know that at least one person out there reads my works that I put my heart and soul into. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Now, I'm not sure if I'll write another long story like this about Denmark – you never know. But I would be super grateful if you could find the time to possibly check out my other stories – of course, I'm not forcing you. It's completely up to you. Just saying, okay?
> 
> Well, I hope I see you in the future.
> 
> Bye~


End file.
